第3个回答 2014-08-30
acronym (n.)
word formed from the first letters of a series of words, 1943, American English coinage fromacro- + -onym "name" (abstracted from homonym; see name (n.)). But for cabalistic esoterica and acrostic poetry, the practice was practically non-existent before 20c. For distinction of usage, see initialism.
For distinction of usage, see initialism.
initialism (n.)
word formed from the first letters of other words or a phrase, 1957, from initial (n.) + -ism. The distinction fromacronym is not universally agreed-upon; in general, words such as NATO, where the letters form a word, are regarded as acronyms, those such as FBI, where the letters sound as letters, are initialisms. The use of acronym in entries in this dictionary that are technically initialisms is a deliberate error, because many people only know to search for all such words under "acronym."
Comparing a few examples of each type[edit]
Pronounced as a word, containing only initial letters
NATO: North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Scuba: self-contained underwater breathing apparatus
Laser: light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation
Taser: Thomas A. Swift's electric rifle
Pronounced as a word, containing non-initial letters
Amphetamine: alpha-methyl-phenethylamine
Gestapo: Geheime Staatspolizei (secret state police)
Interpol: International Criminal Police Organization
Nabisco: National Biscuit Company
Pronounced as a word, containing a mixture of initial and non-initial letters
AIDS: acquired immunodeficiency syndrome
Necco: New England Confectionery Company
Radar: radio detection and ranging
Pronounced as a word or as a string of letters, depending on speaker or context
FAQ: ([fæk] or ef-ay-cue) frequently asked question
IRA: When used for Individual Retirement Account, can be pronounced as letters (i-ar-a) or as a word [ˈaɪrə].
SAT(s): ([sæt] or ess-ay-tee) (previously) Scholastic Achievement (or Aptitude) Test(s) (US) or Standard Assessment Test(s) (UK), now claimed not to stand for anything.[14]
SQL: ([siːkwəl] or ess-cue-el) Structured Query Language.
Pronounced as a combination of spelling out and a word
CD-ROM: (cee-dee-[rɒm]) Compact Disc read-only memory
IUPAC: (i-u-[pæk]) International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry
JPEG: (jay-[pɛɡ]) Joint Photographic Experts Group
SFMOMA: (ess-ef-[moʊmə]) San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
Pronounced only as a string of letters
BBC: British Broadcasting Corporation
OEM: original equipment manufacturer
USA: The United States of America
Pronounced as a string of letters, but with a shortcut
(triple A) American Automobile Association; abdominal aortic aneurysm; anti-aircraft artillery; Asistencia, Asesoría y Administración
(three As) Amateur Athletic Association
AAA:
IEEE: (I triple E) Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
NAACP: (N double A C P) National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
NCAA: (N C double A or N C two A or N C A A) National Collegiate Athletic Association
Shortcut incorporated into name
3M: (three M) originally Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company
E3: (E three) Electronic Entertainment Exposition
W3C: (W three C) World Wide Web Consortium
C4ISTAR: (C four I star) Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition, and Reconnaissance[15]
Multi-layered acronyms
NAC Breda: (Dutch football club) NOAD ADVENDO Combinatie ("NOAD ADVENDO Combination"), formed by the 1912 merger of two clubs, NOAD (Nooit Opgeven Altijd Doorgaan "Never give up, always persevere") and ADVENDO (Aangenaam Door Vermaak En Nuttig Door Ontspanning "Pleasant by entertainment and useful by relaxation") from Breda[16][17]
GAIM (former name of Pidgin): GTK+ AOL Instant Messenger
GIMP: GNU Image Manipulation Program
VHDL: VHSIC hardware description language, where VHSIC stands for very-high-speed integrated circuit.
Recursive acronyms, in which the abbreviation refers to itself
HURD: HIRD of Unix-replacing daemons, where "HIRD" stands for "HURD of interfaces representing depth"
GNU: GNU's not Unix!
Wine: Wine is not an emulator (originally, Windows emulator)
PHP: PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor (formerly personal home page tools)
These may go through multiple layers before the self-reference is found:
Pseudo-acronyms, which consist of a sequence of characters that, when pronounced as intended, invoke other, longer words with less typing (see also Internet slang) [18]
CQ: cee-cue for "seek you", a code used by radio operators
IOU: i-o-u for "I owe you" (a true acronym would be IOY)
K9: kay-nine for "canine", used to designate police units utilizing dogs
Q8: cue-eight for "Kuwait"
Initialisms whose last abbreviated word is often redundantly included anyway
ATM machine: automated teller machine machine
E3 expo: electronic entertainment expo expo
HIV virus: human immunodeficiency virus virus
LCD display: liquid crystal display display
PIN number: personal identification number number