What does the abbreviation PDA mean, and how can it be used in a sentence? This article will tell you everything you need to know about this acronym.
-
Kevin
-
February 7, 2022
-
Common Questions
Your writing, at its best
Compose bold, clear, mistake-free, writing with Grammarly's AI-powered writing assistant
What Does PDA Stand For?
Personal Digital Assistant
According to Dictionary.com, PDA has multiple meanings. Informally, it can mean “public display of affection.” For more formal definitions, it often refers to a personal digital assistant.
A personal digital assistant is a small hand-held computer that often has a touchscreen rather than a tactile keyboard. These were popular in the 1990s and 2000s.
These devices could perform capabilities like being a personal information manager, storing an address book, keeping a calendar, and more. Some of the most popular first PDAs include the PalmPilot and Blackberry. These have largely become obsolete with the advent of smartphones.
Patent Ductus Arteriosus
According to Mayo Clinic, in medicine, PDA commonly stands for the diagnosis of patent ductus arteriosus. This is one of many potential congenital heart defects. This heart defect is one in which there is an opening between the two major blood vessels/arteries that come from the heart, known as the aorta and pulmonary artery.
This opening is present in newborns but usually closes up after the baby is born. If the opening persists, this is known as PDA. Sometimes, diagnosis is not found until an older child shows symptoms like fast breathing, an enlarged heart, or a heart murmur which can be heard by a stethoscope.
Often, if this is small, treatment is not required, but if it is large, it may need medication, surgery, or cardiac catheterization so it does not lead to low oxygen blood flowing in the wrong direction. This can lead to weakened heart muscles and even heart failure.
Medical experts postulate that the cause of PDA can come from a variety of sources. Genetics can play a factor if there is a family history of things like heart defects, Down syndrome, or other genetic disorders. Premature infants also may have an underdeveloped heart resulting in PDA, which is less likely in full-term births.
If a mother contracts rubella, also known as German measles, during pregnancy, this virus can cross through the placenta and damage the fetus’ organs. PDA is twice as common in girls compared to boys. It tends to occur more in babies who are born at higher altitudes.
If PDA is untreated, it can lead to complications and heart problems like pulmonary hypertension, endocarditis, high blood pressure, and more.
What Else Can the Abbreviation PDA Stand For?
The term PDA can stand for other things besides patent ductus arteriosus and personal digital assistant.
Take a look at these alternate meanings from The Free Dictionary and see how many you recognize:
- Professional Development Activity (various organizations)
- Principal Development Activity/Agency
- Personal Deposit Account
- Process Data Acquisition
- Percentage of Defectives Allowable
- Place des Arts (Montreal cultural center)
- Policy Development and Advocacy (various organizations)
- Percent Defective Allowable
- Personal Development Activity
- Predetermined Arc
- Potato Dextrose Agar
- Port Deactivation
- Public Disturbance Agency (gaming)
- Program for Deaf Adults (New York)
- Probability Decision Analysis
- Production Data Acquisition
- Product Development Associates (various locations)
- Patron-Driven Acquisition (e-book purchasing model; libraries)
- Pueblo Depot Activity (US Army)
- Partito d’Azione (Italian political party)
- Principal Design Activity
- Photo-Diode Array
- Pretty Damn Amazing
- Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (religious aid)
- Probabilistic Data Association (algorithm for detecting radar target in clutter)
- Professional Development Assignment (higher education)
- Premature Descent Alert (FAA TAWS)
- Parameter Data Assembler
- Preference Disaggregation Approach (decision theory)
- Population & Community Development Association
- Perdiemazing (TDY) system
- Physical Disability Agency
- Pregnancy Discrimination Act
- Preventive Dental Assistant
- Personal Delivery Assistant
- Players Development Academy (sports; various locations)
- Pole Dance America
- Packaging and Design Association, Europe
- Production Design Associates
- Property Damage Appraisers (various locations)
- Private Detectives Association (Massachusetts and New Jersey)
- People’s Democratic Alliance (Sierra Leone)
- Parenteral Drug Association (now the International Association for Pharmaceutical Science and Technology)
- Predetermined Attendance (UK Fire Service)
- Perry Davis Associates
- Programmable Device Array
- Progressive Democratic Alliance (British Columbia)
- Public Display Assistant
More Potential Meanings of PDA
Below are even more potential meanings of PDA for you to learn. How many of these have you seen before?
- Private Detective Agency (various locations)
- Photonic Design Automation
- Professional Decorative Artisans (Florida)
- Pinoy Dream Academy (TV show)
- Public Defender Agency (Alaska)
- Phased Disassembly Array (Homework-PC game)
- Proforma Disbursement Account (shipping)
- Private Doctors of Australia
- Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (cancer)
- Professional Development Awards (various organizations)
- Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
- Pretty Damn Arrogant
- Push-Down Automata (theory of computation)
- Pile Driving Analyzer
- Portable Digital Assistant
- Partial Dial Abandon
- Partei Der Arbeit (Suisse Socialist Party)
- Positive Deviance Approach (behavioral health)
- Potential Development Area
- Participant-Directed Retirement Account
- Persistent Ductus Arteriosus (cardiology)
- Payroll Deduction Authorization (various organizations)
- Primary Docking Adapter (International Space Station)
- Personal Data Access
- Prostate Ductal Adenocarcinoma (rare form of prostate cancer)
- Painting and Decorating Association (Warwickshire, UK)
- Professional Detective Agency (various locations)
- Public Disclosure Act (various locations)
- Pitch Detection Algorithm (digital recording)
- Preliminary Design Assessment
- Power Distribution Assembly (Canadian, Australian and New Zealand Armies)
- Project on Defense Alternatives (Cambridge, MA)
- Project Development Agreement
- Physical Demand Assessment
- Photon Detector Assembly
- Prioritized Defended Asset
- Polo Democratico Alternativo (Spanish: Alternative Democratic Pole; Colombia)
- Planning and Decision Aid
- Past Doctor Adventure (Doctor Who novel)
- Pennsylvania Dental Association
- Professional Development Academy (various locations)
- Public Display of Affection
Conclusion
Overall, PDA most often stands for personal digital assistant and patent ductus arteriosus. In informal conversations, PDA can also refer to “public displays of affection.”
Sources:
