# acronym

Pronunciation: say "AK-ruh-nim" /ˈæk.ɹə.nɪm/

## Noun

1. Any abbreviation formed from the initial letters of other words, whether it is said as a word or letter by letter, as with TNT.
   - Simple: Any short form made from the first letters of other words, even one you say letter by letter, like TNT.
   - _The memo was so crowded with acronyms such as HR, ROI, and KPI that new hires kept a glossary._
   - _On the form, spell out each acronym, such as CPR or DMV, the first time it appears._
2. In the strict use, only an abbreviation formed from the initial letters of other words that is pronounced as a word, such as laser or NATO.
   - Simple: Only a short form made from the first letters of other words that you say as one word, like NATO.
   - _Organizers came up with the acronym SPARK, which stands for the program's five goals._
   - _Strictly speaking, FBI is an initialism, while NATO and radar are acronyms._
3. An abbreviation made from the opening letters or syllables of other words, such as Benelux.
   - Simple: A short name made from the first letters or first parts of other words, like Benelux.
   - _The startup's name is an acronym that joins the first syllables of its founders' surnames._
   - _Benelux and similar acronyms are built from syllables rather than single letters._

## Verb

4. To shorten a name or phrase by forming it into an acronym.
   - Simple: To turn a long name into a short form made from its first letters.
   - _Government agencies seem to acronym every program they launch._
   - _The task force's unwieldy title was soon acronymed to TRUST._

## Origin

Borrowed from German Akronym, built from Ancient Greek ἄκρον (ákron, "end, peak") and ὄνυμα (ónuma, "name"), the same parts as acro- ("high; beginning") + -onym ("name"). It was modelled on homonym and synonym, and is first recorded in German in the early 1900s and in English in 1940.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/acronym (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).