Ed

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A shortened form of education, meaning the process of teaching and learning in schools ; a shortened form of edition or editor, referring to a published version of a text or the person who prepares it
2. Short for education, the systematic instruction and learning that takes place in schools ; an abbreviation for edition, a particular published version of a work, or for editor, the person who prepares text
3. An abbreviation standing for education, the formal teaching and learning process ; an abbreviation standing for edition, a published version of a book, or editor, one who revises written material

Etymology: The noun "ed" is a shortening, and the shortest route is the familiar one: it is a clipped form of "education," the word for schooling or the study of teaching. Clippings of this kind were a common feature of English speech, and "ed" shows the pattern in its purest form, cutting a long word down to two letters that everyone instantly recognises in a school setting. The shortening became so widespread that it now stands on its own in everyday talk, appearing in phrases such as "driver's ed" and "phys ed" as the label for a course of study. Because the clipped form is so compact, it has also been used in informal and written contexts where the full word would feel too heavy.