American National Standards

American National Standards (pronunciation: /əˈmɛrɪkən næʃənəl ˈstændərdz/) are standards that are developed by American National Standards Institute (ANSI), a private non-profit organization that oversees the development of voluntary consensus standards in the United States.

Etymology

The term "American National Standards" is derived from the name of the organization that develops these standards, the American National Standards Institute. The word "American" refers to the United States, "National" signifies that these standards are accepted across the entire nation, and "Standards" indicates the established norms or requirements that are to be followed.

Related Terms

Standard: A set of guidelines or requirements that are established by a recognized authority.
American National Standards Institute: A private non-profit organization that oversees the development of voluntary consensus standards in the United States.
Voluntary consensus standards: Standards that are developed through a process where all stakeholders (such as businesses, government, non-profits, and consumers) agree on the standards.
Consensus: General agreement among various stakeholders or groups.
Non-profit organization: An organization that uses its surplus revenues to further achieve its purpose or mission, rather than distributing its surplus income to the organization's directors (or equivalents) as profit or dividends.