Do you know the definition of P.S.? This article will provide you with all of the information you need on the acronym P.S., including its definition, usage, examples, and more!
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According to Grammarly and Cambridge English Dictionary, the term P.S., also abbreviated as PS, stand for postscript. This is used to refer to a written addendum or an additional thought that is added to letters after it has been completed. This was often used in the time of handwritten letters so that one did not have to completely start over in letter writing. This is used less often today because most of our messaging is typed or via social media. This afterthought is used in both American English and British English as an addendum to the main body. One might see this in love letters written as P.S. I love you. There are also says to denote an additional postscript, which are P.P.S. and P.P.P.S., and so forth.
While many languages around the word also use the term P.S., as it is taken directly from Latin, they have numerous different ways to refer generally to a postscript. You may notice that many of these different words look and sound a lot like the word postscript. These are called cognates, which are words and phrases that look, sound, and mean something similar across languages. These are often formed when two words or languages share a common root word or language of origin – in this case, the Latin postscriptum. This list of translations for postscript is provided by Word Sense.
According to The Free Dictionary, the acronym PS can be used for much more than just a postscript at the end of a letter. While these other definitions are certainly valid, they are less common and should therefore be used sparingly. If you do decide to use one of these alternate definitions, make sure that you provide the reader with the proper context so that they can infer the correct meaning. This should be standard practice with any acronym that has more than one meaning, but is especially important when said acronym is well-known for one certain meaning.
Preferred Smoker (insurance)
Passive Smoking
Process Specification
Problem Statement (Sprint)
Patrol Supervisor
Psychological Science (journal)
Prime Suspect (TV program)
Pink Slip
Program Summary
Penalty Shot (hockey)
Parallel Single
Panel Subassembly
Political Science
Plaque Psoriasis (dermatology)
Personnel Specialist (USN Rating)
Public Service
Program Stream
Painted Steel
Polizia di Stato (Italy)
Protective Subsystem
Personal Space
Policy Service (insurance)
Personnel Subsystem
Paddle Steamer
Priority Survey
Palmtop Studio
Public Storage
Power Shield (Quake gaming)
Plaza Singapura (shopping center, Singapore)
Processing Subsystem (US DoD)
Post Shakedown
Pistol Sharpshooter (US Navy)
Power Surge
Please Send
Pakistan Steel
Pokerstars (gaming)
Plastic Sheet (construction)
Public Safety
Personal Statement
Puget Sound (Washington state)
Playstation
Program Store (Nortel)
Procurement Schedule
Pittsburgh and Shawmut Railroad Company (also abbreviated as P&S)
Program Statement (US Bureau of Prisons regulation)
Motion Picture Service Bookers (US Navy)
Palau
Professional Strength
Paging System
Partially Sterile
Pferdestärken (German: horse power)
Pedigree Selection
Production Support
Phase Shift Armor (Gundam Seed anime)
Psalms
Phosphoserine
Pencil Sharpener
Point of Switch
Partial Slip (chemical engineering)
Picosecond
Prior Service
Proof Stress
Primary Structure
Photosystem (photosynthesis)
Profit Sharing (type of qualified retirement plan)
Packet Switch
Pulmonary Sequestration
Poincare Sphere (method of measuring polarization mode dispersion, ITU-T)
Power Seats
Printer Server
Postmusik-Salzburg
Process Service
Prompt Side (theater term)
Planeshift (video game)
Personal Secretary
Postal Service
Program Support
Physical Security
Population Spike
Police Sergeant (UK)
Pulse Shaper/Shaped
Pen Spinning
Solidarity Party (Panama)
Penn Station (resturant)
Play School (various organizations)
Program Specification
Photo Sensitive
Personal Station
PeopleSoft, Inc. (software company)
Perot Systems (Plano, TX)
Public School
Pressure Sensitive (printing industry)
Pokemon Showdown (simulator)
Project Stock
Protection Switching (Alcatel)
Parenteral Society
Particle Separator
Penalty Stroke (field hockey)
Polar Stereographic
Public Sector
Power Source
Phosphatidylserine
Power Start
Parallel Switch
Pulse Stagger
Phone Sex
Psychonomic Society
Navy Yard Puget Sound (US Navy)
Permanent Signal
Ukraine International Airlines (IATA airline code)
Parallel Track Single-Unit (US DoD)
Power Steering
Program Service
What is the origin of the term P.S.?
According to Etymonline, the term P.S. has been used since the 1610s as an abbreviation for the Latin post scriptum. This is also referred to using the term postscript, a noun that refers to said addition at the end of a written work. This term has been used since the 1550s. The Latin post scriptum comes from the root post meaning after and the neuter past participle scribere meaning to write.
Overall, the abbreviation P.S. stand for postscript. This is used after one has signed a letter and is used as an addendum to the contents of the letter. This comes directly from the Latin postscriptum.
Kevin Miller is a growth marketer with an extensive background in Search Engine Optimization, paid acquisition and email marketing. He is also an online editor and writer based out of Los Angeles, CA. He studied at Georgetown University, worked at Google and became infatuated with English Grammar and for years has been diving into the language, demystifying the do's and don'ts for all who share the same passion! He can be found online here.
Kevin
May 16, 2021
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