R and Dn.
/ˌɑːr(ə)n(d)ˈdiː/, U.S. /ˌɑr(ə)n(d)ˈdi/ Originally U.S.
Research and development; a part of a business organization engaged in this. Frequently attributive.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > discovery > research > [noun] > research and development
research and development1892
R and D1952
blue-sky research1959
blue skies research1972
1952 F. Pohl & C. M. Kornbluth in Galaxy Aug. 129/1 ‘How's Research and Development doing on the Venus question?’.. ‘R. and D. is in there punching.’
1966 Inland (Inland Steel Co., Chicago) Autumn 5/1 The American iron and steel industry alone will spend $200 million on R & D this year.
1978 Nature 2 Mar. 2/2 A reprocessing plant..will cost in excess of £500 million, including radioactive waste storage, some R & D expenditure..and a decade of operating costs.
1990 E. Van Lustbader White Ninja ii. 308 The R and D department was moved from Nakanko Industries into a semidormant subsidiary not covered by the warrants.
2001 L. F. Punzo Cycles, Growth & Struct. Change 57 With the beginning of the process of labour shedding, capital formation comes to almost a halt, with some investment being diverted to R and D.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2008; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1952