acronym

CEFRC2

/ˈæk.ɹə.nɪm/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A word formed from the first letters of several words.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    An abbreviation formed by the initial letters of other words.

Examples

  • PIPA is an acronym for the PROTECT IP Act.

  • SOPA is an acronym for the Stop Online Piracy Act.

At a glance

Sits at C2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
4

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. Generally such abbreviations, including those pronounced as individual letters (initialisms such as "TNT").

  2. Exclusively such abbreviations when pronounced as a word (as "laser" or "NATO").

  3. An abbreviation formed by the beginning letters or syllables of other words (as "Benelux").

More examples

In context

  • Pee-gee-enn. It's an acronym, that's what it is. That's what they call words made up of initials.

  • Acronyms or telescoped names like nabisco from National Biscuit Company.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The abbreviation 'NASA' is a famous blank that stands for National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

Borrowed from German Akronym, from Ancient Greek ἄκρον (ákron, “end, peak”) and ὄνυμα (ónuma, “name”), equivalent to acro- (“high; beginning”) + -onym (“name”). Modelled after Homonym and Synonym, first attested in German in the early 1900s and in English in 1940.