acronym
,
abbreviation
formed from the initial letter or group of letters of two or more words. The term dates to the 1940s and derives from the Greek words
akros
, meaning “topmost” or “highest,” and
onyma
, meaning “name” or “word.” Some scholars suggest it was borrowed from the German
Akronym
, which appeared in the 1920s. Most
acronyms
have been coined since the 20th century, and some have become so commonly used that their letter-based roots are often forgotten, such as
JPEG
(Joint Photographic Experts Group).
In terms of structure, distinctions have been made between three types of acronyms. Letter acronyms are exemplified by
scuba
(
s
elf-
c
ontained
u
nderwater
b
reathing
a
pparatus) and
UNESCO
(United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). Syllabic acronyms include
sitcom
(
sit
uation
com
edy) and South America’s
Mercosur
(Mercado Comun del Sur). MATCON (
m
icrowave
a
erospace
t
erminal
con
trol), on the other hand, is an example of a hybrid
acronym
. Some linguists, such as David Crystal, consider syllabic acronyms to be blends since they include more than the first letter of each word. Syllabic and hybrid acronyms exclude periods, as do many letter acronyms.
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Acronyms are typically pronounced as full words, in contrast to initialisms (also called alphabetisms) whose letters are spelled out. Examples of the latter include
EU
(European Union),
IRS
(Internal Revenue Service), and
UN
(United Nations). Several writers and linguists, however, also consider these to be acronyms and forgo the distinction. Under this broader definition, acronyms were already common well before the 20th century, as exemplified by CE (Common Era) and BCE (
b
efore the Common Era), which date back to at least the 1700s. Some acronyms, such as JPEG and
CD-ROM
(
c
ompact
d
isc
r
ead-
o
nly
m
emory), include a combination of both letters and syllables when pronounced.
Further distinctions point to how a term is used.
Mnemonic
acronyms convey the connection between familiar common nouns and the abbreviation, as occurs with SQUID, meaning
s
uperconducting
q
uantum
i
nterference
d
evice. Similarly, acronyms such as ASH (Action on Smoking and Health) and NOW (
National Organization for Women
) have also been used as slogans. The popularity of acronyms has led them to being incorporated into other acronyms, as exemplified by DIFFA (Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS).
Acronyms can prompt confusion across fields,
cultures
, and languages, especially when they change because of the order of words and hence letters. An example is the acronym for
acquired immunodeficiency syndrome
, which is AIDS in the
English language
but SIDA (
syndrome d’immunodeficience acquise
) in French. Problems can also arise when the same acronym refers to completely different entities. Such is the case with SPA, which can refer to various things, including the business term
s
ale and
p
urchase
a
greement; the Sociedade Portuguesa de Autores (“Portuguese Society of Authors”), which deals with author rights; and the Societe Protectrice des Animaux (“Society for the Protection of Animals”), a French organization responsible for
animal rights
. The same
acronym
can also confuse readers who share the same
language
or field. This is exemplified by LOL, which can stand for
l
ots
o
f
l
ove or for
l
aughing
o
ut
l
oud. Some acronyms have remained the same after being adopted by different languages, as shown by the French RSVP (
repondez s’il vous plait
).
The prevalence of abbreviations has given rise to the so-called RAS syndrome, short for
r
edundant
a
cronym
s
yndrome syndrome. This occurs when one of the words from the acronym is repeated, as in the names ATM (
a
utomated
t
eller
m
achine) machine, UPC (
u
niversal
p
roduct
c
ode) code, and DC (Detective Comics) Comics.
Acronyms
have also prompted the creation of backronyms, whereby an existing word or phrase is made into an acronym by using words that start with the letters provided. This is exemplified by the
Apgar score
, introduced by
Virginia Apgar
to evaluate the health of newborns. It later forged the
mnemonic
aid: Appearance, Pulse, Grimace, Activity, and Respiration.
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