# It ain't an acronym. What is it? **URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-aint-an-acronym-what-is-it/173999 **Category:** Factual Questions **Created:** [May 8, 2003, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-aint-an-acronym-what-is-it/173999 "2003-05-08T23:43:37Z") **Posts on this page:** 20 **Page:** 1
### Author: ![Francis\_E\_Dec\_Esq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/48db29/32.png) [@Francis\_E\_Dec\_Esq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_E_Dec_Esq) #### Post date: [May 8, 2003, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-aint-an-acronym-what-is-it/173999/1 "2003-05-08T23:43:37Z")
An **acronym** is (from Merriam-Webster) “a word (as NATO, radar, or snafu) formed from the initial letter or letters of each of the successive parts or major parts of a compound term” Although the term is often mis-applied to any string of letters, it strictly only means those that form a spoken word. E.g, MADD and NASA are acronyms, FBI and MIT are not. So “FBI” and “MIT” are instances of … what? I had thought they are _initialisms_, but Merriam Webster has for initialism, “an acronym formed from initial letters,” so that shoots down that idea. ---
### Author: ![UrbanChic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9dc877/32.png) [@UrbanChic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UrbanChic) #### Post date: [May 8, 2003, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-aint-an-acronym-what-is-it/173999/2 "2003-05-08T23:49:51Z")
Abbreviations? ---
### Author: ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself) #### Post date: [May 8, 2003, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-aint-an-acronym-what-is-it/173999/3 "2003-05-08T23:49:53Z")
An abbreviation. From M-W: > [@](#): > > 2 : a shortened form of a written word **or phrase** used in place of the whole ---
### Author: ![Earl\_of\_Sandwhich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/91b2a8/32.png) [@Earl\_of\_Sandwhich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_of_Sandwhich) #### Post date: [May 8, 2003, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-aint-an-acronym-what-is-it/173999/4 "2003-05-08T23:54:20Z")
How about a monogram? And welcome to the boards, Francis. ---
### Author: ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67) #### Post date: [May 8, 2003, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-aint-an-acronym-what-is-it/173999/5 "2003-05-08T23:59:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Francis E Dec, Esq \* > \*\*I had thought they are _initialisms_, but Merriam Webster has for initialism, “an acronym formed from initial letters,” so that shoots down that idea. \*\* You need MW’s Third Unabridged (look in the Addenda at the beginning, p. 86a): **"an acronym formed from initial letters; esp: one (as _RPG_) that is pronounced as separate letters"** ---
### Author: ![El\_Cheapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8e7dd6/32.png) [@El\_Cheapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Cheapo) #### Post date: [May 9, 2003, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-aint-an-acronym-what-is-it/173999/6 "2003-05-09T00:01:07Z")
acrostic ---
### Author: ![brianmelendez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/65b543/32.png) [@brianmelendez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianmelendez) #### Post date: [May 9, 2003, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-aint-an-acronym-what-is-it/173999/7 "2003-05-09T00:36:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Francis E Dec, Esq \* > \*\*I had thought they are _initialisms_, but Merriam Webster has for initialism, “an acronym formed from initial letters,” so that shoots down that idea. \*\* With all due respect to the abridged Merriam-Webster, **Francis E Dec, Esq** , your initial thought was correct–they are _initialisms_, as **Scarlett67** has pointed out: > [@](#): > > **Acronyms and Initialisms.** > > . . . . > > (1) Be aware of the distinction between the two types of abbreviated names. An acronym is made from the first letters or parts of a compound term. It’s read or spoken as a single word, not letter by letter \. An initialism is also made from the first letters or parts of a compound term, but it’s sounded letter by letter, not as one word \. Because acronyms are pronounced as words, there is a tendency to abandon full capitalization \ \. Bryan A. Garner, _Garner’s Modern American Usage_ (2d ed. 2003). ---
### Author: ![Billdo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/billdo/32/315_2.png) [@Billdo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Billdo) #### Post date: [May 9, 2003, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-aint-an-acronym-what-is-it/173999/8 "2003-05-09T01:49:28Z")
Related question: What do you call if when a name is shortened using part of the words. Federal Express --\> FedEx ---
### Author: ![daniel801](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@daniel801](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/daniel801) #### Post date: [May 9, 2003, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-aint-an-acronym-what-is-it/173999/9 "2003-05-09T03:50:14Z")
FedEx isn’t a shortened form technically. They changed their trademark. ---
### Author: ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T) #### Post date: [May 9, 2003, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-aint-an-acronym-what-is-it/173999/10 "2003-05-09T04:13:40Z")
_What do you call if when a name is shortened using part of the words?_ An acro-initi-abbreviationism. 🙂 ---
### Author: ![StephenG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@StephenG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StephenG) #### Post date: [May 9, 2003, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-aint-an-acronym-what-is-it/173999/11 "2003-05-09T06:33:02Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by El Cheapo \* > \*\*acrostic \*\* Actually, an acrostic is a poem that forms a word from the initial letter of each line. Like [here](http://www.snopes.com/photos/grave.asp). ---
### Author: ![typhoon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ed8c4c/32.png) [@typhoon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/typhoon) #### Post date: [May 9, 2003, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-aint-an-acronym-what-is-it/173999/12 "2003-05-09T06:54:10Z")
I noticed last week that my French-English dictionary called acronyms that aren’t pronounced as words “letterwords.” Etymologically, though, “acronym” just means “head name.” Who decided that a name is strictly a set of letters that is pronounced as one word? Seems to me that a name is merely a word that identifies something. Additionally, the Merriam-Webster definition produced above defines an “initialism” as a class of acronym, whereas Gardner’s Modern American Usage considers them separate types of “abbreviated names.” So which is it? Obviously, there’s no definitive word on it. I personally think that it’s a silly, pretentious distinction to make. What does it matter how it’s pronounced? They’re formed the same way. Our minds decipher them the same way. This is an just another example of bored linguists trying to make something needlessly complicated. ---
### Author: ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque) #### Post date: [May 9, 2003, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-aint-an-acronym-what-is-it/173999/13 "2003-05-09T07:06:46Z")
I agree with **typhoon**. Your average person does not make this kind of distinction and it’s pointless to make it. And if you do make this distinction, what do you call that handful of these things that are sometimes pronounced as a string of letters and other times some other way? Examples: awol, ROTC. ---
### Author: ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson) #### Post date: [May 9, 2003, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-aint-an-acronym-what-is-it/173999/14 "2003-05-09T12:49:43Z")
An excellent thread which answered a few questions I had in mind but thought too trivial to ask. Hat’s off to the OP and those providing answers. Una ---
### Author: ![Francis\_E\_Dec\_Esq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/48db29/32.png) [@Francis\_E\_Dec\_Esq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_E_Dec_Esq) #### Post date: [May 9, 2003, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-aint-an-acronym-what-is-it/173999/15 "2003-05-09T13:34:09Z")
Thanks for all the responses. I suspect the Merriam-Webster use of acronym in the def of initialism is just an oversight. ---
### Author: ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory) #### Post date: [May 9, 2003, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-aint-an-acronym-what-is-it/173999/16 "2003-05-09T13:35:21Z")
One that always bothered me was “AOL”. Why not, “AMOL”? Why was America shortened to A, and Online shortened to OL? Sure it’s catchy, but what’s the deal? ---
### Author: ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout) #### Post date: [May 9, 2003, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-aint-an-acronym-what-is-it/173999/17 "2003-05-09T14:26:36Z")
‘Online’ is two words (or it used to be until comparatively recently) ---
### Author: ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert) #### Post date: [May 9, 2003, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-aint-an-acronym-what-is-it/173999/18 "2003-05-09T14:43:40Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ParentalAdvisory \* > \*\*One that always bothered me was “AOL”. Why not, “AMOL”? Why was America shortened to A, and Online shortened to OL? Sure it’s catchy, but what’s the deal? \*\* So they could rhyme it with SOL in that one commercial… 😃 ---
### Author: ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle) #### Post date: [May 9, 2003, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-aint-an-acronym-what-is-it/173999/19 "2003-05-09T20:56:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Billdo \* > Related question: > > What do you call if when a name is shortened using part of the words. > > Federal Express --\> FedEx William Safire has referred to that as a stump compound. ---
### Author: ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory) #### Post date: [May 9, 2003, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-aint-an-acronym-what-is-it/173999/20 "2003-05-09T23:22:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mangetout \* > \*\*‘Online’ is two words (or it used to be until comparatively recently) \*\* I see. I am idiot when it comes to proper grammar usage and such. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/it-aint-an-acronym-what-is-it/173999.md?page=2)