Is R.I.P. suppose to have a "." at the end?

Question

Me and my friend were arguing over whether R.I.P. (as in Rest In Peace) has a . at the end. I thought it was suppose to be "R.I.P." but she said it was "R.I.P"

Who's right?

Answer 1

You are.

However, RIP is commonly used without periods.

Answer 2

Yes, it should have a period in the end because it's an acronym, and all acronyms should end with a period.

Answer 3

Requiescat in pace -- May he rest in peace.

I know of three conventions you could follow.  I present them in the order of my preference.

The most classic, formal, and supportable convention is to have the dot after every letter.  "R.I.P."  That shows that each letter is an abbreviation for something.

A less formal, most modern choice is to ignore the punctuation entirely, except to force upper case.  "RIP".  This model seems to be related to our recent habit of generating acronyms at the drop of a hat, and typing them quickly with CapsLock firmly depressed.

A purely decorative choice is to use separating marks between the acronym's letters.  "R∙I∙P" or "R*I*P" or "R-I-P".  That's the sort of stylistic choice that makes people go "eww, what were they thinking?" once it has dropped out of fashion.  I consider it a good thing that this has nearly dropped out of fashion.

Even if you do use this last choice, you shouldn't use normal periods for the separating marks.  Raised dots are the least bothersome, when available, or hyphens otherwise.

Answer 4

I'm fairly sure there is.

Answer 5

For some reason I thought there were periods in R.I.P.  However, according to Wikipedia Encyclopedia it is:

The phrase "rest in peace" typically occurs on (headstones), often abbreviated "RIP."  

Notice No Periods.

Thank You for the info I found today.  Have a nice day.

Answer 6

No period at  the end: just, R.I.P

Answer 7

Each letter stands for a word.  At the end of each letter there is a period specifically denoting that it is in replacement of another word.

Answer 8

R.I.P. usually stands alone as the final sentence of an epitaph.  I should have thought that a more likely question is "Should be "R.I.P..?" While grammar suggests a "yes" answer that question, taste suggests "no."