Mensa is known for using many different acronyms or terms, so here is a list of some of the more commonly used terms.
| ABM |
Annual Business Meeting - Annual meeting typically held during the Annual Gathering, where officers report on the state of Mensa and members can ask questions of the officers. |
| AC |
Area Coordinator - A volunteer who is willing to welcome new members, receive calls and questions from members, and schedule events within a limited geographic area in the local group. |
| AG |
Annual Gathering - The annual convention of Mensans, hosted by one or more local groups of American Mensa, and usually held the first week of July. |
| AMC |
American Mensa Committee - The governing body of American Mensa. AML American Mensa, Ltd. - The national Mensa organization encompassing all local groups in the United States. |
| ASIE |
Actions Still in Effect - These are the multitudes of actions passed by the American Mensa Committee currently in effect. |
| Bylaws |
Bylaws are the official charter for a local group of American Mensa. |
| CQ |
CultureQuest - An annual competition of cultural and trivia knowledge, open to groups of Mensans. |
| EG |
Eternal Gathering - A phrase used to refer to groups of Mensans who have passed away. |
| ElCom |
Election Committee - A group of people selected to oversee local, regional, or national Mensa elections. |
| ExCom |
Executive Committee - The collection of voting officers who run each local group. |
| FM |
Female Mensan. |
| FSM |
Fold, Staple, Mutilate - The name many local groups use to refer to their monthly newsletter collating party. |
| GC |
Gifted Child or Children. |
| GCC |
Gifted Children Coordinator - Appointed representative who provides helpful information to parents of gifted children. |
| IBD |
International Board of Directors - Elected representatives from all national Mensas, which meets to solve problems of an international nature. |
| IG |
International Gathering. |
| IGC |
International General Council - The Chairmen of all national Mensas, an advisory body that suggests ideas to the IBD for action. |
| IJ |
International Journal. |
| IM |
Isolated M - A Special Interest Group that functions like a local group for Mensans who may not live in geographical proximity to a local group. It is the local newsletter free for those who have no local chapter. |
| Interloc |
Interloc is a Mensa publication that discusses ideas of value to local groups, debates politics, and prints budgets and many other of the inner workings of Mensa. It is automatically sent to many local group officers, and is free to anyone else interested. |
| LDW |
Leadership Development Workshop - This is a weekend-long event to teach local group officers how to become better leaders and improve their local groups or deal with problems. |
| LocSec |
Local Secretary - The chief officer (President) of the local group. |
| LOTS |
Local Officer Training Session - Previous name for what is now Leadership Development Workshop (LDW). |
| LYMP |
Little Yellow Map Pin - A pin with a yellow globe on the top, previously sent to new members upon joining Mensa. |
| M / Ms |
Mensan / Mensans. |
| Mensa Boutique |
The Mensa Boutique is the official vendor of Mensa merchandise. |
| Mensa Bulletin |
The Mensa Bulletin is the monthly magazine published by American Mensa, and sent to members each month. |
| MERF |
Mensa Education and Research Foundation - A separate non-profit and tax deductible corporation linked with American Mensa that administers our scholarship program, publishes the MERF Journal on research into giftedness, and approves of all requests for research into intelligence conducted using Mensa members. |
| MIL |
Mensa International, Ltd. - The parent organization of American Mensa, Ltd., with chapters all over the world. Mind Games Mind Games is an annual event where groups of Mensans get together to play and evaluate dozens of new games. The top 5 games are awarded the Mensa Select seal. |
| MM |
Male Mensan. |
| NO |
National Office - The headquarters of American Mensa, currently located in Arlington, Texas. |
| NomCom |
Nominating Committee - A group of people selected to find suitable candidates to run for office in local, regional, or national Mensa elections. |
| OG |
Outdoor Gathering. |
| Ombudsman |
The Ombudsman is the official arbitrator of disputes between Mensa members, or between a member and a Mensa chapter. |
| Proctor |
A proctor is a member trained and qualified to administer the Mensa entrance exams. |
| Project Inkslinger |
Project Inkslinger encourages local groups to provide books, magazines, and other reading material to local libraries and non-profit organizations in need. |
| Region |
A subdivision of American Mensa. Currently there are 10 regions. |
| RG |
Regional Gathering - A convention of Mensans, hosted by a local group, typically lasting a weekend. RGs attract the majority of members from local and nearby chapters. |
| RVC |
Regional Vice-Chair - A region's elected representative on the American Mensa Committee. |
| SIG |
Special Interest Group - A group of people who share an interest in a specific topic. |
| S.I.G.H.T. |
Service of Information, Guidance and Hospitality to Travelers - Worldwide service to travelers, which provides information on local activities and tries to provide short-term accommodations with hosts from traveling Mensans. |
| UG |
Unofficial Gathering - A Mensa party usually run by invitation only. |
