Acronyms

/ˈækrənɪmz/ noun

Definition

Plural of acronym; words formed from the first letters of other words, such as FBI, radar, or scuba.

Etymology

From 'acronym,' created in the 1940s from Greek 'akron' (peak, extreme) and '-onym' (name), literally 'peak name' or the beginning letters of names.

Kelly Says

The word 'acronym' itself is only about 80 years old—our language is still figuring out how to handle the explosion of acronyms that technology and bureaucracy keep creating.

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