wikipedia
English

Etymology
From acro- "sharp, high" + -onym "name", modelled after homonym and synonym. From AGr. polytonic|�κ�ο� (akros) "extremity" and polytonic|�νομα "name".

Pronunciation
IPA|/�æk.ɹ�.nɪm/, SAMPA|/"{k.r\@.nIm/
audio|en-uk-acronym.ogg|Audio (UK)

Noun
en-noun

1. An abbreviation formed by (usually initial) letters taken from a word or series of words, and which is itself pronounced as a word, such as RAM, radar, or scuba; sometimes contrasted with initialism.
2. Any abbreviation so formed, regardless of pronunciation, such as TNT, IBM, or XML.

Usage notes

1. Although contradictory, both meanings of the word acronym are in common use. The second sense is often criticized by commentators who prefer the term initialism for abbreviations that are not pronounced like an ordinary word.
2. Acronyms are generally written with all letters in upper case. Some acronyms are treated as words in their own right and are written in lower case (such as scuba or radar).
3. Older usage required that each letter be followed by a full stop. Current usage tends to omit full stops.

Slovene: t+|sl|kratica|f
Spanish: t+|es|acrónimo|m
Swedish: t+|sv|akronym
trans-bottom

trans-top|any abbreviation formed by initial letters
trans-mid
trans-bottom

See also
:Category:Acronyms
:Category:Abbreviations, Acronyms and Initialisms - a list of all abbreviated forms
initialism
mnemonic

ar:acronym
da:acronym
et:acronym
el:acronym
fa:acronym
fr:acronym
io:acronym
it:acronym
ja:acronym
pl:acronym
pt:acronym
ru:acronym
fi:acronym
ta:acronym
vi:acronym
tr:acronym

• 2007-12-19 09:01 - Tbot - added t for ro

Full Revision History