acronym
noun
- abbreviation formed by taking the initial letters
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈæk.ɹə.nɪm/ / /ˈɛk.ɹə.nəm/
noun
Etymology: Borrowed from German Akronym, from Ancient Greek ἄκρον (ákron, “end, peak”) and ὄνυμα (ónuma, “name”), equivalent to acro- (“high; beginning”) + -onym (“name”). Modelled after Homonym and Synonym, first attested in German in the early 1900s and in English in 1940.
- An abbreviation formed by the initial letters of other words.
“Pee-gee-enn. It's an acronym, that's what it is. That's what they call words made up of initials.”
- An abbreviation formed by the initial letters of other words.
“Some teachers festoon every spare inch of wall with vocabulary choices or maths techniques to use, which look great at first, but to some children might appear quite daunting. You'll probably see unfamiliar acronyms such as Walt (We Are Learning To). Be sure to ask what they stand for and how they are used in practice.”
“Traders have reportedly come up with the acronym TACO, which stands for “Trump always chickens out,” to take advantage of the trade environment created by the president’s habit of threatening to impose tariffs on countries, and then backing off at the last moment.”
- An abbreviation formed by the beginning letters or syllables of other words (as "Benelux").
“Acronyms or telescoped names like nabisco from National Biscuit Company.”
verb
Etymology: Borrowed from German Akronym, from Ancient Greek ἄκρον (ákron, “end, peak”) and ὄνυμα (ónuma, “name”), equivalent to acro- (“high; beginning”) + -onym (“name”). Modelled after Homonym and Synonym, first attested in German in the early 1900s and in English in 1940.
- To form into an acronym.