What does A.D. mean on the Gregorian calendar?
On the Gregorian calendar, A.D. stands for Anno Domini, Latin for 'the year of our Lord.' It begins at the calendar's zero point, with dates after designated A.D. and dates before designated B.C. Anno yields 'annual,' and Domini means Master or Lord.
Les explains that many people ask what A.D. stands for, and some mistakenly say 'after death,' but that does not fit because A.D. goes back to zero on the Gregorian calendar. He teaches that A.D. comes from the two Latin words Anno Domini, not Hebrew or Greek. Anno gives us the word 'annual,' and Domini means Master or Lord, so A.D. means 'the year of our Lord,' which is zero on the Gregorian calendar. From year zero forward is the year of our Lord, or A.D., while everything before is before Christ. Les also notes that some have changed B.C. to B.C.E. and A.D. to C.E., or Common Era, to remove Christ from the picture.