Acronym
/ˈæk.rə.nɪm/noun
A word formed from the initial letters or parts of a phrase, pronounced as a single word.
Did you know?Acronym was coined in the 1940s from Greek roots, but the thing it names became so powerful that English later spawned whole families of secret-code words from it.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
ákros
“at the tip, end, or highest point”
Ancient Greek
Greek
ónoma
“name, word”
1940s
English
acronym
“a word formed from the initial letters or parts of other words, coined as a technical term”
Modern English
English
acronym
“a pronounceable abbreviation formed from initial letters or parts of a phrase”
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