Tell me more ×
English Language & Usage Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for linguists, etymologists, and serious English language enthusiasts. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 2 down vote favorite

I'm trying to rent an apartment and the price is written as:

£1,000 pcm.

What does that mean?

share|improve this question
3  
for the future, you can use the acronym finder website – Theta30 Sep 12 '11 at 18:09
2  
And browse the 104 definitions for PCM... – Daniel δ Sep 12 '11 at 18:11
@dr65 they are sorted by rank and this one is the third one. Using the context, the user can figure out further which one it is. – Theta30 Sep 12 '11 at 18:32
It does say (accounting) after PCM = per calendar month, though. Probably just to throw off the search. – Daniel δ Sep 12 '11 at 18:35
2  
@Richard: We're closing this not necessarily because we think you should have known how to find the definition of PCM; it's just that one has only to follow a few leads google can easily give us. Hopefully you got some good tips for your future searching! – Daniel δ Sep 12 '11 at 18:58

closed as general reference by Mitch, Thursagen, Robusto, JSBձոգչ, Daniel δ Sep 12 '11 at 18:55

This question is too basic; it can be definitively and permanently answered by a single link to a standard internet reference source designed specifically to find that type of information. See the FAQ for guidance on how to improve it.

2 Answers

up vote 2 down vote

Per calendar month. There are indeed 104 meanings attached to PCM, but you should be able to find the right one by googling more specifically (e.g. PCM stand for renting or something similar).

share|improve this answer
lessons in googling – Thursagen Sep 12 '11 at 18:50
up vote 2 down vote

Doesn't it make to use it to mean "per calendar month"?

share|improve this answer
2  
per calender month being the important detail that you pay 1000*12 in a year, while per month means every 4weeks = 1000*13 in a year! – mgb Sep 12 '11 at 18:19
2  
Really? I would have thought pcm meant that the months are counted beginning at the first of a month, and ending on the last (e.g. Jan 1 to Feb 1); whereas per month would mean from any day one month to that day next month (e.g. Jan 22 to Feb 22). Either way, there are 12 months per year. How do you know per month = per 4 weeks, resulting in 13 "months" per year? – Daniel δ Sep 12 '11 at 18:23
@drɱ65, yes PCM = on same day each month (ie 12/year), while per month 'can' mean every 4 weeks. How do you know ? Unscrupulous landlords! – mgb Sep 12 '11 at 23:11

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.