Acronym
As a Noun
- A word formed by taking the initial letters of a phrase and pronouncing them as a single word (e.g., NASA from “National Aeronautics and Space Administration”).
As Other Form
- Acronymic (Adjective): Related to or resembling an acronym.
- Acronymically (Adverb): In the form of an acronym.
Word History
The word acronym comes from the Greek akron (tip or end) and onyma (name). It became popular in the 20th century, especially with the rise of organizations and military terms requiring shorter, easily recognizable names.
Examples
- NASA is an acronym for “National Aeronautics and Space Administration.”
- Many people mistakenly think “PIN” is an acronym, but it actually stands for “Personal Identification Number.”
- The company created a catchy acronym for its new project.
Synonyms
Abbreviation, initialism, short form
Related Words
Mnemonic, contraction, shorthand, symbol
Antonyms
(Not applicable, as acronyms are a specific type of word formation rather than an opposite concept.)
