English

Etymology

From Greek acro- , sharp or high, + nym , name

Noun

acronym, plural acronyms

1. A word formed from the initial letter or letters of several other words, and which is itself pronounced as a word.
2. (non-standard) Any abbreviation formed from the initial letters of several words, whether the abbreviation is pronounced as a word or not. (See Usage Notes below.)

Examples

• RAM
• EFTA
• scuba

Usage notes

1. The term acronym is often applied to any term formed in this way, even if the result is pronouced letter by letter instead of as a word (e.g., TNT, BBC). Strictly speaking, though, these are initialisms.
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).
3. Older usage required that each letter be followed by a point (a period or full stop). Current usage tends to omit points.

Translations

word formed from initial letters

any abbreviation formed from initial letters

See also

• ACRONYM
• initialism
• List of acronyms
• Acronyms By Topic.