List of acronyms: Q

This list contains acronyms, initialisms, and pseudo-blends  that begin with the letter Q.

For the purposes of this list:

• acronym = an abbreviation pronounced as if it were a word, e.g., SARS = severe acute respiratory syndrome, pronounced to rhyme with cars
• initialism = an abbreviation pronounced wholly or partly using the names of its constituent letters, e.g., CD = compact disc, pronounced cee dee
• pseudo-blend = an abbreviation whose extra or omitted letters mean that it cannot stand as a true acronym, initialism, or portmanteau (a word formed by combining two or more words).

(a) = acronym, e.g.: SARS – (a) severe acute respiratory syndrome

(i) = initialism, e.g.: CD – (i) compact disc

(p) = pseudo-blend, e.g.: UNIFEM – (p) United Nations Development Fund for Women

(s) = symbol (none of the above, representing and pronounced as something else; for example: MHz – megahertz)

Some terms are spoken as either acronym or initialism, e.g., VoIP, pronounced both as voyp and V-O-I-P.

(Main list of acronyms)

Q0–9

• Q1 – (p) First Quarter
• Q2 – (p) Second Quarter
• Q3 – (p) Third Quarter
• Q4 – (p) Fourth Quarter

QA

• QA – (s) Qatar (FIPS 10-4 country code; ISO 3166 digram)
• Qantas – (a) Queensland And Northern Territory Aerial Services
• QAP – (a) Quadripartite Advisory Publication ("kwapp")
• QAR – (s) Qatari rial (ISO 4217 currency code)
• QAT – (s) Qatar (ISO 3166 trigram)

QB

• QB – (p) Quarterback (football)

QC

• QC – (i) Quality Control – (s) Québec (postal symbol) – (i) Queen's Counsel
• QCA – (i) Qualifications and Curriculum Authority – Quality Council of Alberta
• QCD – (i) Qualified Charitable Distribution - (p) Quantum ChromoDynamics

QD

• QD – (i) quaque die (Latin, "daily")
• QDOS – (p) Quick and Dirty Operating System ("cue-doss")
• QDR – (i) Quadrennial Defense Review
• QDRO – (a) Qualified domestic relations order ("quad-ro")

QE

• QED – (p) quantum electrodynamics – (i) quid es demonstrata or quod erat demonstrandum (Latin, "that proves it" or "which was to be demonstrated")
• QEH – (i) Queen Elizabeth's Hospital

QF

• QFE – (i) Quoted For Emphasis – (s) Local ground level atmospheric pressure (aeronautical Q code)

QI

• QID – (i) quater in die (Latin, "four times daily")
• QIP – (a) Quadrilateral Interoperability Programme (ancestor of MIP; "quip")

QK

• QK – (s) Air Canada Jazz (IATA airline designator)

QL

• QLD – (p) Queensland, (Australia) (postal symbol)

QM

• QM – (i) Quality Management – Quantum Mechanics – Queen Mother

QN

• QNH – (s) Regional mean sea level atmospheric pressure (aeronautical Q code)

QP

• QPR – (i) Queens Park Rangers F.C. (English football team) – (i) Quality-Price Ratio (wine evaluation term)
• QPS – (i) Quark Publishing System

QR

• QR – (i) Quake Rally – Qualitative Reasoning – Queensland Rail – Queen's Rangers – Quick Release – Quiet Riot – (s) Qatar Airways (IATA airline designator)

QS

• QS – (i) quantum sufficit (Latin, "as much as suffices")
• QSCAT – (p) Quick Scatterometer satellite
• QSL – (i) Québec Sign Language
• QSO – (i) Quasi-Stellar Object
• QSTAG – (p) Quadripartite Standardization Agreement ("cue-stag")

QT

• QT – (i) Quentin Tarantino – QuickTime – QuikTrip – QT (cute) Software

QU

• qu – (s) Quechua language (ISO 639-1 code)
• Quango – (p) (British Commonwealth) QUasi Autonomous Non-Governmental Organisation
• Quasar – (p) Quasi-stellar radio source
• QUB - Queen's University Belfast
• que – (s) Quechua language (ISO 639-2 code)
• QUIET – (p) Q and U Imaging ExperimenT (Q and U are the Stokes parameters of the CMBR polarization)

QV

• qv – (i) quod vide (Latin "which see")
• QVC – (i) "Quality, Value, Convenience" (home shopping channel)

QW

• QWG – (i) Quadripartite Working Group ("qwig")
• QWGAOR – (i) Quadripartite Working Group on Army Operational Research ("qwig-a-o-r")

QZ

• QZ – (s) Awair (IATA airline designator)