acronym
Pronunciation: /ˈakrənɪm/
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Definition of acronym
noun
- an abbreviation formed from the initial letters of other words and pronounced as a word (e.g. ASCII, NASA). Compare with initialism.
Origin:
1940s: from Greek akron 'end, tip' + -onym
Grammar
An abbreviation composed of the first letters of other words so that the abbreviation itself forms a word. For example:CRASSH: Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities Aids: acquired immune deficiency syndrome Acronyms are treated just like ordinary words in a sentence, and may be composed of all capital letters, or of an initial capital followed by small letters. For example:Of 34 mothers who gave birth to children with Aids at his hospital, only four had any symptoms of the disease. Daily Telegraph An abbreviation consisting of initial letters pronounced separately is called an initialism. For example:WHO BBC