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• bc
  bc

  abbreviation

  basso continuo.
• BC
  BC

  abbreviation

  buoyancy compensator.
• B/C
  B/C

  bills for collection.
• b.c.
  b.c.

  abbreviation

  before Christ (used in indicating dates).
• B.C.
  B.C.

  abbreviation

  Bachelor of Chemistry.

bc

¹ American  

abbreviation

1. Music. basso continuo.

2. blind copy: used as a notation on the copy of a letter or other document sent to a third person without the addressee's knowledge. Also

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BC ² American  

abbreviation

1. Scuba Diving. buoyancy compensator.

2. British Columbia, Canada (approved for postal use).

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B/C ³ American  

1. bills for collection.

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b.c. ⁴ American  

Or B.C.

abbreviation

1. before Christ (used in indicating dates).

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B.C. ⁵ American  

abbreviation

1. Bachelor of Chemistry.

2. Bachelor of Commerce.

3. bass clarinet.

4. battery commander.

5. British Columbia.

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BC British  

abbreviation

1. Also: B.C..  (indicating years numbered back from the supposed year of the birth of Christ) before Christ Compare AD

   in 54 bc Caesar came

2. British Columbia

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Usage

The abbreviation b.c. “before Christ” is always placed after a date or century: Cleopatra lived from 69 to 30 b.c. The war took place in the first century b.c. See also a.d. ¹

Example Sentences

The only 2026 World Cup venue not affected by the rule is Vancouver's BC Place.

From Barron's • Jun. 12, 2026

All seven matches will be hosted at BC Place stadium.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 8, 2026

The earliest evidence of people on Ynys Enlli are pieces of flint, which have been dated back to between 2,000 and 1,000 BC.

From BBC • May 21, 2026

Brunello Cucinelli BC 0.74%increase; green up pointing triangle , the quiet-luxury brand favored by tech billionaires, had been hit by the sour mood across the sector.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

In 2 BC he turns two years old.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife