There might be other meanings to the acronym RIP, but the most common one I know is what I'm going to talk about. RIP is the abbreviation for Rest In Peace, is from the Latin word, “Requiescat in pace”. RIP is like a blessing offered to a dead person.
The idea of putting the phrase Rest In Peace on graves started among Christians in the time past especially among Catholics. They believed offering such a prayer to the dead might help the dead person find favor in the eyes of God, so that the person would enjoy an eternal rest in heaven.
The practice has really grown up to be something very common among people irregardless of their religions. People say it to their loved ones who had departed from this world because they believe prayer is the only thing a person needs after death.
The full form of 'RIP' is Rest in Peace, the original meaning is “Requiescat in pace” which is a blessing for the dead in Latin. This was translated to English to mean Rest in peace. This is just a small blessing to wish a dead person a peaceful transition from this earth to journey beyond. You will find this expression 'RIP' which means 'rest in peace' on the gravestones.
Those who say this short prayer for a dead person believe that with their prayer, the dead person would enjoy a smooth transition and a peaceful heavenly rest. This practice actually emanated from Roman Catholics. Around eighteen century, people began to see the phrase 'Rest in peace' very common on Christians grave and the practice was very prominent among Roman Catholics. The reason for this short blessing for the dead could be due to the doctrine of Catholics that place great emphasis on journey after death.
I would have to go with the most common meaning of RIP than I know which is Rest in Peace. This is normally used for people who have already died who may be in need of resting peacefully. There are some people who believe that some souls are not in peace because of various reasons. They may not have had the chance to do what they have always wanted, and so much more.
There are also some people who believe that those who may already be resting may be disturbed when those who are still living do things that are not ideal for them. Rest in Peace actually started from its Latin counterpart, “Requiescat in pace.”