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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 auction house listing describes the Egyptian head as being radio-carbon dated to between 750 and 800 BC, adding that it came from a private collection.

From BBC • Jun. 26, 2026

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

From Barron's • Jun. 12, 2026

Additionally, they may have no place to play next season since their lease at BC Place, a 54,000-seat football stadium, expires at the end of the year.

From Los Angeles Times • May 8, 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

During the fifth and fourth millennia BC, cities with tens of thousands of inhabitants sprouted in the Fertile Crescent, and each of these held sway over many nearby villages.

From "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari