Like everyone else, Quakers have their own set of abbreviations and acronymns they use. Many of these stand for Quaker organizations. Others are more generic.

This list is compiled mainly for the benefit of those using the various Internet forums devoted to Quakerism - email lists, Web-based forums and one Usenet news group. In addition to specifically Quaker abbreviations and acronyms, I also include some of the most common acronyms used in such forums by everyone. (Note: you may see these in either upper case or lower case on forums.) The latter ones are identified by being on a colored background.

The organizations whose acronyms are included are weighted towards those in the affluent world where computer use is most common, and towards the English-speaking world. This is because these are the most widely used in Internet Quaker forums. With the understanding that I do not intend for this list to be at all exhaustive, I welcome people to email me with suggestions of additional ones to add.

You can find Internet addresses for most of the organizations included in this list on the Friends (Quaker) Yearly Meetings and Broader Bodies on the Internet page. You can get an understanding of the role of the different types of Friends organizations on the Organization of the Society of Friends page. You can find Quaker Internet forums on the Quaker E-Mail Lists and Quaker Web Discussion Forums and Usenet Group pages.

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