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<h4 class="subsection">9.1.14 <code>@abbr</code>{<var>abbreviation</var>[, <var>meaning</var>]}</h4>

<p><a name="index-abbr-430"></a>
<a name="index-Abbreviations_002c-tagging-431"></a>You can use the <code>@abbr</code> command for general abbreviations.  The
abbreviation is given as the single argument in braces, as in
`<samp><span class="samp">@abbr{Comput.}</span></samp>'.  As a matter of style, or for particular
abbreviations, you may prefer to omit periods, as in
`<samp><span class="samp">@abbr{Mr} Stallman</span></samp>'.

  <p><code>@abbr</code> accepts an optional second argument, intended to be used
for the meaning of the abbreviation.

  <p>If the abbreviation ends with a lowercase letter and a period, and is
not at the end of a sentence, and has no second argument, remember to
use the <code>@.</code> command (see <a href="Not-Ending-a-Sentence.html#Not-Ending-a-Sentence">Not Ending a Sentence</a>) to get the correct spacing.  However, you do not have to
use <code>@.</code> within the abbreviation itself; Texinfo automatically
assumes periods within the abbreivation do not end a sentence.

  <p><a name="index-g_t_003cabbr_003e-tag-432"></a>In TeX and in the Info output, the first argument is printed as-is;
if the second argument is present, it is printed in parentheses after
the abbreviation.  In HTML and XML, the <code>&lt;abbr&gt;</code> tag is
used; in Docbook, the <code>&lt;abbrev&gt;</code> tag is used.  For instance:

<pre class="example">     @abbr{Comput. J., Computer Journal}
</pre>
  <p class="noindent">produces:

<pre class="display">     <abbr title="Computer Journal">Comput. J.</abbr> (Computer Journal)
</pre>
  <p>For abbreviations consisting of all capital letters, you may prefer to
use the <code>@acronym</code> command instead.  See the next section for
more on the usage of these two commands.

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