MD – the Doctor or the Officer?
Well, an abbreviation like this can be expanded to mean several other things. Usually, they tend to have different meanings about the context in which they are used. MD in the United States – can mean a state – Maryland!
MD can also mean a Managing Director. In this context, usually, MD is the head of a business and also the business owner.
MD about the medical line means Medicinae Doctor in Latin which means in English Doctor of Medicine. MD is a course pursued by doctors after they complete their graduation in medicine.
Other important things that an MD can mean
There are several other important things that MD stands for in our daily life, some of them are given below for immediate reference and understanding:
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Muscular Dystrophy (this is a disease of the muscles, actually a group of diseases that cause muscle loss)
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Medical Director (he is usually a doctor who provides medical leadership in a hospital, popular in the United States)
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Major Depression (a condition of the human mind, which needs medical attention and treatment)
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Medical Department (a department in an organization that delivers medical care to other employees or community in an organization)
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Missing Data (this is a term used in statistics)
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Marketing Director (this is a person who usually heads the marketing function in an organization)
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Mother’s Day (this is a day that celebrates motherhood all over the world)
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Music Director (the person who renders music to a play or a movie)
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Molecular Dynamics (a term used in chemistry and physics to indicate how molecules interact)
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Mega Drive (a term used by the company Sega for one of its products)
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Macular Degeneration (This is a condition of the eye that happens with age and affects the retina in it)
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Missile Defense (this is a term used in the defense community which means that there is a series of activities that can be activated when a missile is directed at a particular place)
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Metal Detector (this is a term that is used in relation to the security services, where detectors are used to find if there are any hidden arms either in the purse, person or in the baggage)
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Manic Depression (the major depression when untreated turns into manic depression, where a person could harm himself or others)
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Motion Detection (this is a term used in photography)
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Management Directive (this is a term that is used in management language to indicate that the owner(s) of the business or the leadership team of the organization wants something done in a specific manner)
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Meningococcal disease (this is a disease condition that affects the brain due to a bacterial infection)
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Millennium Declaration (This is a declaration in the United Nations on 8th September 2000 that reiterated the Human Values for the 21st century, those being – Freedom, equality, solidarity, tolerance, respect for nature, and shared responsibility)
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Mini Disk (a term that is used in relation to computers and computer science to indicate that a small disk is being used)
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Main Deck (a term that is used by sailors to indicate the main deck of a ship)
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Air Madagascar (a term that is used by International Aviation and Travel Association to indicate an airline)
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Make Directory (this is a command that was used in MS-DOS – an operating system of the yesteryears)
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Mucosal Disease (a term used in veterinary medicine to indicate a viral disease that infects the mucosa)
Mortgage Deed (a term that is used in the finance sector to indicate that specific property has been mortgaged to an institution or a financier)
Conclusion
MD is an interesting abbreviation. It can mean several things when used in relation to medicine itself. It means many things when used in different contexts – like missing data in statistics, managing director in the business, Medical Director or Medicinae Doctor in medical contexts, main deck in shipping, and so on. So, it is not only the abbreviation but also the context that is important when trying to find the full form of a given abbreviation. It also is used to denote a declaration in the United Nations that defines a set of values that are relevant in the modern times driven by technology.