In dictionaries, the abbreviation esp. represents "especially" and is used to emphasize a point critical to the meaning of a word. An example of this is the Merriam-Webster Dictionary's definition of the word "reference": "used or usable for reference; esp. constituting a standard for measuring or constituting." Abbreviations used in the dictionary are commonly italicized to differentiate them from the text of the definition. Most dictionaries have a list of their abbreviations in the front of the book.
ESP is an abbreviation commonly used in conjunction with paranormal activity. People with a "sixth sense" who can see the future or read minds are said to have ESP. The term was first used in 1870 by Sir Richard Burton. In 1892, a researcher from France named Dr. Paul Joire used it to describe the extrasensory abilities of a person who was hypnotized or in a trance. Researchers have conducted many experiments over the years to determine how people sometimes seem to know things that there is no obvious way for them to know, such as events that have not yet happened or that have happened far away. Clairvoyants, psychics and those who claim to be able to see the future believe that they have ESP.
ESP is a guitar company in Tokyo, Japan. The acronym stands for Electric Sound Products. The company began building guitars in 1976 and gained a reputation for making quality guitars. ESP is the guitar of choice for many thrash metal artists, popular during the 1980s. Bands like Metallica and Megadeath made them famous. ESP markets its guitars in Asia, Europe and the United States.
The online Acronym Finder lists 250 different names and phrases that ESP is an acronym for. A few of these include Energy Services of Pensacola, Eastern State Penitentiary, an album by trumpet player Miles Davis and the national fraternity Epsilon Sigma Phi.