SP

SP may refer to:

In science and technology

In biology and medicine

• sp., an abbreviation for species used in place of a specific epithet in a species name
• Simulated patient, in medicine, an individual trained to act as a real patient
• Substance P, a neuropeptide
• Status Post

In computing and telecommunications

• Scalable POWERparallel, an IBM supercomputer platform
• Service pack, a collection of updates, fixes, or enhancements to a software program
• Stack pointer, a term used in computing
• Stored procedure, a program stored in a database

In geology

• a USCS symbol for sand, poorly graded
• Spontaneous potential, a measurement taken by oil industry well loggers to characterise rock formation properties

In mathematics

• Trace (linear algebra), or "spur" (German), a quantity associated with square matrices
• Sp(n) and Sp(2n,F), used to denote a symplectic group or its corresponding Lie algebra

Other uses in science and technology

• sp orbitals, in physics, an instance of atomic orbital hybridisation
• Soft point bullet, a type of ammunition
• Stated Preference, a choice modelling method

In arts and entertainment

• SP (TV series), a Japanese TV series
• South Park, an American animated TV series
• Game Boy Advance SP, an upgraded version of the Game Boy Advance video game system
• The Smashing Pumpkins, an American rock band
• /sp/, the sports board on the Internet forum 4chan
• Skinny Puppy, a Canadian industrial music group
• Short Play, term used for shorter formats of records than Extended Play

Businesses

• Service provider, a company that provides organizations with consulting, legal, real estate, education, communications, storage, processing, and many other services
• SATA Air Acores (IATA code)
• SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden
• Southern Pacific Railroad reporting marks
• Státní podnik ("state business"), a bygone Czechoslovakian state designation for a business entity

Places

• SP postcode area; the Salisbury postcode area in the UK
• São Paulo (state), a state in Brazil
• Singapore Polytechnic, a school

Military

• Shore patrol, a type of naval military police in Britain and the U.S.
• Seri Pahlawan Gagah Perkasa (S.P.), a Malaysian military decoration

In politics

• Centre Party (Norway) (Senterpartiet)
• Socialist Party or Social Democratic Party in many places, including:
  • Socialist Party of Albania
  • Samajwadi Party, in India
  • Socialistische Partij (SP), in the Netherlands
  • Socialistische Partij (SP), a historical name for the sp.a in Belgium
  • Socialistische Partij (SP), a historical political party in the Netherlands (1918–1929)
  • Social Democratic Party of Switzerland

In religion

• Suppressive Person, a term used in Scientology
• Piarists, a Catholic religious order, formally known Ordo Clericorum Regularium pauperum Matris Dei Scholarum Piarum, abbreviated Scholarum Piarum (Pious Schools)
• Südtiroler Pfadfinderschaft, a Catholic scouting association in Italy

In genealogy

• s.p., sine prole (Latin: "without issue" [i.e., having no children], full form d.s.p. decessit sine prole, "died without issue")

Other uses

• Self-propelled
• 25 metre pistol, a shooting sport formerly known as sport pistol
• Superintendent of Police, a rank in British police services and in most English-speaking Commonwealth nations
• Starting price, odds applicable on a horse race as the race is about to start
• Strada Provinciale, a category of provincial roads in Italy