Acronym Definition
ăkrə-nĭm
acronyms
noun
A word formed by combining the initial letters of a multipart name, such as NATO from N orth A tlantic T reaty O rganization or by combining the initial letters or parts of a series of words, such as radar from ra dio d etecting a nd r anging.
American Heritage
A word formed from the first (or first few) letters of a series of words, as radar, from radio detecting and ranging.
Webster's New World
An initialism.
American Heritage
An abbreviation formed by (usually initial) letters taken from a word or series of words, that is itself pronounced as a word, such as RAM, radar, or scuba; sometimes contrasted with initialism.
Wiktionary
A pronounceable word formed from the beginnings (letter or syllable) of other words and thus representing the phrase so formed, e.g. Benelux = the countries Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg considered as a political or economic whole.
Wiktionary
Origin of Acronym
acro- + -onym, first attested around 1943.
From Wiktionary
acr(o)– –onym
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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