Blog Archives
Definition: Acronym
An acronym is the abbreviation of words or groups of words using their first letters. The term can be derived from the Greek and is composed of ákros, which means tip or extremity and ónyma, which can be translated as name. It is about marginal letters that form an abbreviation. Acronyms can be phonetic abbreviations , such as AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) or abbreviations that are spelled out, such as LKW (trucks).
Examples:
- "lol" for laughing out loud
- "asap" for as soon as possible
- "MFG" for Best regards
- "UFO" for unidentified flying object
Acronyms are commonly used in chats, forums and emails, but are also used in company or software naming.
Special forms of acronyms
1. Apronym
The apronym refers to an acronym that already exists as a term in the vocabulary. The abbreviation ELSTER, for example, describes the electronic tax return, while the word was already known as a species of bird.
2. Backronym
A backronym refers to an acronym that initially only existed as an abbreviation and to which specific terms were only subsequently assigned. An example of this is the emergency call "SOS", to which meanings such as "Save our Souls" were only later ascribed.
3. Recursive Acronym
The recursive acronym is understood to mean an acronym that refers to itself in terms of content. This means that it includes its own abbreviation as part of the spelled out word. This category of acronym is often found in a technical environment. PHP is an example of this. The P refers to the abbreviation PHP, while the H stands for hypertext and the second P for preprocessor.
4. Syllable abbreviation
The syllable abbreviation describes an abbreviation that is not formed from the first letters, but from the first syllables of several terms. Well-known examples are the abbreviation Kripo for criminal police or Kita for day - care center.
