Alanna Madden
October 30, 2019
Abbreviations For
Are you interested in knowing what the abbreviation is for the word “assistant” in English? In this short guide, we’ll cover exactly what the proper abbreviations are, as well as the definition of the word, some examples of it in use, and the history behind the word.
Let’s start with the correct “assistant” abbreviations.
Compose bold, clear, mistake-free, writing with Grammarly's AI-powered writing assistant
Are you interested in knowing what the abbreviation is for the word “assistant” in English? In this short guide, we’ll cover exactly what the proper abbreviations are, as well as the definition of the word, some examples of it in use, and the history behind the word.
Let’s start with the correct “assistant” abbreviations.
There are two ways to abbreviate the word assistant.
● Asst.
● Assts.
“Asst.” refers to the singular “assistant” and “assts.” refers to the plural “assistants.” This abbreviation can be used without the period at the end (such as “asst” or “assts”) for note-taking, but it is not grammatically correct and should not be used in formal documents. These abbreviations can also be capitalized in some cases (such as “ASST.” or “ASSTS.”) but it is more common for these abbreviations to be lower-case.
According to Dictionary.com, the definition of “assistant” is as follows:
Noun
Adjective
Synonyms
As a noun, the history of the word assistant is derived from the mid-fifteenth century word assistent which means “a person who aids or helps another,” which was the noun use of present participle of assistere. Deeper origins can be found in the Latin form of the word assistentem (the nominative would be assistens). The spelling changed to assistant in the sixteenth century.
As an adjective, the history of the word assistant can also be found in the mid-fifteenth century and meant “helpful or of assistance.” It is derived, like the noun version, from the Latin word assistentem (the nominative would still be assistens.) Along with its noun version, this word changed to modern spelling in the sixteenth century.
The abbreviation for assistant is usually used in office settings. For example, one might include the copy “Asst. Manager” on an office plaque, business card, or name tag within a business, rather than spelling the whole word out.
“Asst.” and “assts.” can also be used in official documents or in note-taking within an office setting. For example, if the Assistant Director is going over a proposal and editing it digitally or by hand for further revisions, she might include her notes in the margins of the document and sign them “Asst. Director” so the writer knows who made the edits.
Outside of office settings and professional titles, one would not use this abbreviation. However, these abbreviations can definitely be used in documents that require brevity in any setting, professional or not. The full spelling and pronunciation of the word would be considered correct in casual conversation and all other forms of writing.
1. “‘The positive side of this whole thing is that you have health care,’ the nursing assistant cooed, placing a kind hand on my arm, ‘Everything is going to be alright.'”
2. “It was becoming increasingly clear that I really needed an assistant, a secretary, literally anyone who could help me deal with the piles of documents and papers on my desk. The phone was ringing off the hook, and it was clear I couldn’t run this operation alone anymore.”
3. “I approached the cold white office door. To the left of its frame sat a gold plaque that read ‘Assts. Johnson & Carmichael’ in deeply engraved letters. Even their plaque was intimidating.”
4. “Note: Revise paragraphs 10 and 11 for clarity. — Asst. Director Norton”
5. “There were a number of employees we needed to hire now that we had our office in the works. Johnny needed an administrative assistant to help him with all of the management staff. I needed some developers and information technology pros to handle the website.”
6. “‘My assistant will contact you for further information,’ said the woman, glasses pulled down her nose as she looked up at me. That was a kind way of saying ‘Don’t call us, we’ll call you.’ Somehow, I had the feeling that they wouldn’t be calling.”
7. “It was clear that Bill had quite the business. There was a constant ebb and flow of activity around the warehouse– packaging workers diligently wrapping up products, associates and assistants shuffling around and mumbling to each other behind clipboards. I was proud of my brother for how well he was doing.”
8. “The name on the business card was clear as day, and I was surprised to find out that the handsome man was a professor. ‘Asst. Professor McCormick’ to be precise.”
9. “‘Come on, pal, what do you need?’ Nicky pleaded, one knee on the ground as he gestured around wildly, ‘An assistant? A shoe shiner? Heck, I’ll even clean the toilets to get in on this gig. Please, just give me a shot!'”
10. “‘Google Assistant is lame anyway,’ Samantha snorted. Apparently, she was so wrapped up in her iPhone that she couldn’t even consider such a plebian operating system like Android.”
11.”Assistant Professor Macbeth stood from his desk and walked over to the whiteboard to begin writing out the formula.”
12. The meeting with who I assumed was the kingpin had the feel of a traditional business meeting with just a little more… fear. His assistants (or rather, bodyguards) sat three to each side, ramrod straight, their eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses.
