who invented acronyms

When did acronyms become a thing?

The word acronym itself wasn't coined until 1943. The lack of a need for such a word suggests the degree to which acronyms previously were not a part of daily life. Their use accelerated with the U.S. space program and the Cold War, and by the time a "Dictionary of Acronyms, Initialisms and Abbreviations" was published in 1960 it had 12,000...

Why do we use acronyms?

Humans have been using acronyms for centuries. One of the earliest examples can be seen in the Greek word “ichthys” which stands for “Iēsous Christos, Theou Yios, Sōtēr” (or “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior”). The word, meaning “fish” in Greek, is often used today to describe the Jesus fish symbol. Ancient governments used acronyms, too.

Did acronyms come from the root word?

However, Harper argues this wordplay had been around for centuries and they aren't really acronyms: the root word already existed and no-one was pretending the initials were the source. Acronyms didn't becom a common method of word formation in English until World War II. The word acronym itself wasn't coined until 1943.

When did abbreviations become common in the English language?

Acronym. In English and most other languages, such abbreviations historically had limited use, but they became much more common in the 20th century. Acronyms are a type of word formation process, and they are viewed as a subtype of blending .

When was acronym founded?

1994Founded in 1994 by Errolson Hugh and Michaela Sachenbacher, Acronym is an incredibly lean and agile operation. The founders are as likely to refer to themselves as a guerrilla unit as a clothing company, but since 2002, they've produced their own apparel label.

What is the origin of acronym?

Acronym is a relatively new word made up of ancient parts. It entered the language around 1940, made from the Greek word akros, meaning “topmost” or “highest,” combined with -onym, from the Greek word onyma (“name” or “word”). In German, the term Akronym had been used since the 1920s.

Is FBI an acronym or abbreviation?

initialismFBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) is an initialism.

How are acronyms introduced?

Introducing acronyms Introduce every acronym before using it in the text. The first time you use the term, put the acronym in parentheses after the full term. Thereafter, you can stick to using the acronym.

Is OMG an acronym?

OMG is an abbreviation of the expression oh my God (or oh my goodness or oh my gosh) and in the domain of text and instant messaging, social media etc, has become a popular mechanism for expressing surprise or astonishment, e.g. She's going out with Darren, OMG!

Is NASA an acronym?

NASANASA / Short name

Is KFC an acronym?

KFCKFC / Short nameKFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) is an American fast food restaurant chain headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, that specializes in fried chicken.

Is NASA an acronym or initialism?

Acronymsacronymfull formNASANational Aeronautics and Space AdministrationUNESCOUnited Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organizationradarradio detection and rangingscubaself-contained underwater breathing apparatus1 more row

Is scuba an acronym?

SCUBAScuba set / Short nameSCUBA (Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus): Did you know 'scuba' itself is an acronym? Although it's become the word we use to describe diving itself, the full meaning of 'scuba' is Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus – a term coined back in 1952 by U.S. Major Christian J. Lambertsen.

Is ASAP an acronym?

Ok yes, it means as soon as possible, but in terms of actual time, it means nothing. There's no specification to this term.

Why are acronyms useful?

Abbreviations and acronyms are shortened forms of word (s) or phrases (s). They assist in making manuscripts easy to read and understand. Additionally, they help in meeting the strict word-count targets, avoiding the repetition of words, thereby making the text easy to read.

Why do we use acronyms?

Abbreviations/Acronyms Abbreviations and acronyms are used to save space and to avoid distracting the reader. Acronyms that abbreviate three or more words are usually written without periods (exception is U.S.S.R.). Abbreviations should only be used if the organization or term appears two or more times in the text.

Is Acro Greek or Latin?

Etymology. New Latin acro- (“pointed, first, high”) (from Ancient Greek ἄκρος (ákros, “highest, at the extremity”))

Is KFC an acronym?

KFCKFC / Short nameKFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) is an American fast food restaurant chain headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, that specializes in fried chicken.

What is the difference between acronym and abbreviation?

An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word used in place of the full word (e.g., Corp.). An acronym is a word formed from the first letters of each of the words in a phrase or name (e.g., NASA or laser). Abbreviations and acronyms are treated similarly in NREL publications.

Is USA an acronym or abbreviation?

And the abbreviated form of United States of America is USA (no periods).

What is an acronym in Wikipedia?

For the use of acronyms on Wikipedia, see Wikipedia:Acronyms. An acronym is a word or name formed from the initial components of a longer name or phrase, usually using individual initial letters, as in NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) or EU (European Union), but sometimes using syllables, as in Benelux (Belgium, ...

What do pseudo-acronyms stand for?

Such pseudo-acronyms may be pronunciation-based, such as "BBQ" ( bee-bee-cue ), for "barbecue", or " K9 " ( kay-nine) for "canine". Pseudo-acronyms also frequently develop as "orphan initialisms"; an existing acronym is redefined as a non-acronymous name, severing its link to its previous meaning. For example, the letters of the " SAT ", a US college entrance test originally dubbed "Scholastic Aptitude Test", no longer officially stand for anything. The US-based pro-choice organization " NARAL " is another example of this; in that case, the organization changed their name three times, with the long-form of the name always corresponding to the letters "NARAL", before eventually opting to simply be known by the short-form, without being connected to a long-form.

Why do we use acronyms?

The general reason for this is convenience and succinctness for specialists, although it has led some to obfuscate the meaning either intentionally, to deter those without such domain-specific knowledge, or unintentionally, by creating an acronym that already existed.

What does a full stop mean in an acronym?

In English, abbreviations have traditionally been written with a full stop/period/point in place of the deleted part to show the ellipsis of letters – although the colon and apostrophe have also had this role – and with a space after full stops (e.g. "A. D."). In the case of most acronyms, each letter is an abbreviation of a separate word and, in theory, should get its own termination mark. Such punctuation is diminishing with the belief that the presence of all-capital letters is sufficient to indicate that the word is an abbreviation.

Where does the word "acr" come from?

The word acronym is formed from the Greek roots acr-, meaning "height, summit, or tip" and -onym, meaning "name". This neoclassical compound appears to have originated in German, with attestations for the German form Akronym from as early as 1921. English language citations for acronym date to a 1940 translation of a Lion Feuchtwanger novel.

What is an acronym in a phrase?

An acronym is a word composed of the first letters of the words in a phrase, especially when this is used as a name. An example of an acronym is 'NATO', which is made up of the first letters of the 'North Atlantic Treaty Organization'. ^ "acronym".

What are some examples of acronyms?

BIV " ("red-orange-yellow-green-blue-indigo-violet"). They are also used as mental checklists, for example in aviation: " GUMPS ", which is "gas-undercarriage-mixture-propeller-seatbelts". Other examples of mnemonic acronyms are " CAN SLIM ", and "PAVPANIC" as well as " PEMDAS ".

What does the Greek word "ichthys" mean?

Acronymy has ancient roots, as illustrated by the early Christian use of the Greek word ichthys meaning “fish” as an acronym for Iēsous Christos, Theou Huios, Sōtēr ("Jesus Christ, God's son, Savior").

What is the acronym for the Supreme Court of the United States?

Phillips for the United Press Association in 1879. The code abbreviated “Supreme Court of the United States” as SCOTUS and “President of the...” as POT, giving way to POTUS by 1895.

Why did Tim Berners Lee say he had a hard time?

Mark Scheerer writes in response to my column on the 20th anniversary of the World Wide Web: "Tim Berners-Lee says his friends gave him a hard time because his term, World Wide Web, 'yielded an acronym that was nine syllables long when spoken. '.

What is an acronym?

Acronym is one of those words that has remained maddeningly ill-defined for its entire existence. Like my predecessor William Safire, I prefer defining acronym as “a pronounceable word created out of the initials or major parts of a compound term, like NATO, radar or TriBeCa .”.

When was initialism first used?

The earliest known use of initialism is from 1844, in an article in “The Christian’s Monthly Magazine and Universal Review” discussing SPQR, an abbreviation of the Latin phrase Senatus Populusque Romanus ("The Senate and People of Rome").

When was the word "rotfl" first used?

What is it with this guy? ROFL and its variants, including ROTFL (the “T” is for “the”) and ROTF (which does away with “laughing” altogether), date back to at least 1989, when it was apparently first used in a post on Usenet, an early Internet message board, in a group discussing amateur radio.

When was LOL invented?

Lexicographer and netspeak historian Ben Zimmer told PCWorld that the first documented mention of LOL comes from a May 1989 newsletter called FidoNews — still distributed by the computer network FidoNet today — which listed it as a commonly used Web acronym.

Who is the actor who plays McLovin in Superbad?

In this throwaway scene, “McLovin” (played by Christopher Mintz-Plasse) spoke with a morose cashier who utters the famous words: YouTube.

Who said "Dude is crazy"?

Dude is crazy. This acronym goes way, way back to 1917, when 75-year-old John Arbuthnot Fisher, First Baron Fisher of Kilverstone, sent a letter to Winston Churchill that concluded, “I hear that a new order of Knighthood is on the tapis — O.M.G. (Oh! My! God!)

Who is the main character in Catcher in the Rye?

In J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye, the novel’s main character, Holden Caulfield, described a movie he saw like this: “It ends up with everybody at this long dinner table laughing their asses off because the great Dane comes in with a bunch of puppies.”. Advertisement. 3. ROFL.

What are some examples of acronyms?

For example, places like the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), World Wildlife Fund (WWF), and National Rifle Association (NRA) are all more commonly known by their abbreviations. When establishing new companies, business owners sometimes use acronyms to come up with a name.

What is the Roman Empire known as?

The Roman Empire, for example, often referred to itself as SPQR (“Senatus Populusque Romanus”). Today, acronyms are used for a variety of purposes. Government agencies often use them to make their names more easily recognizable, as do private organizations.

What does M&M stand for?

Similarly, M&M's stands for “Mars & Murrie's,” an ode to founder Forrest Mars and Hershey's Bruce Murrie.

How long should I sit in the sun before my skin burns?

The number signals how long you can sit in the sun before your skin burns. An SPF rating of 15, for example, allows you to be exposed for approximately 150 minutes before burning.

What does the Greek word "ichthys" mean?

One of the earliest examples can be seen in the Greek word “ichthys” which stands for “Iēsous Christos, Theou Yios, Sōtēr” (or “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior”). The word, meaning “fish” in Greek, is often used today to describe the Jesus fish symbol. Ancient governments used acronyms, too. The Roman Empire, for example, often referred ...

Why do I have trouble focusing?

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD is a condition that causes trouble focusing, particularly in kids. The causes are still unknown, but experts have said there are a number of myths. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: “Research does not support the popularly held views that ADHD is caused by eating too much sugar, watching too much television, parenting, or social and environmental factors such as poverty or family chaos. Of course, many things, including these, might make symptoms worse, especially in certain people. But the evidence is not strong enough to conclude that they are the main causes.”

Where did the YMCA originate?

Although people often think of the YMCA (or the “Y”) as a simple low-cost gym, the facilities have their roots in Victorian England during the Muscular Christian movement. At the time, religious authorities wanted to encourage young Christian men to hone their bodies, play sports, and stay disciplined to better connect with God. “The Muscular Christians strongly believed in the formative power of athletic competition,” Jack Moore wrote for The Guardian, adding, “That by participating in games and sports young men would be instilled with positive character traits.” The YMCA was born from this and ethos today it has locations in 119 countries.

Overview

Historical and current use

Acronymy, like retronymy, is a linguistic process that has existed throughout history but for which there was little to no naming, conscious attention, or systematic analysis until relatively recent times. Like retronymy, it became much more common in the 20th century than it had formerly been.
Ancient examples of acronymy (before the term "acronym" was invented) include the following:

Etymology

Nomenclature

Lexicography and style guides

Comparing a few examples of each type

Orthographic styling

Changes to (or wordplay on) the expanded meaning