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Dave Schuler at orrex@excite.com wrote:
> > And speaking of acronyms, hasn't it already been argued that technically in
> > order to be an acronym the series of letters must form a word (usual example
> > being radar)?
>
> That's been my understanding; if the letters don't form a word it's an
> abbreviation rather than an acronym, though the two terms are blurring.
"radar" wasn't a word until the technology was invented.
So does that mean it isn't an acronym?
This is what Dictionary.com has to say about it:
-----
ac·ro·nym (kr-nm)
n.
A word formed from the initial letters of a name, such as WAC for Women's
Army Corps, or by combining initial letters or parts of a series of words,
such as radar for radio detecting and ranging.
-----
It doesn't specify that it must be a real word that is formed in order to be
an acronym. Some words have become so integrated into our society that most
people don't even realize they're acronyms.
:^)
~Grand Admiral Muffin Head
--
Mark's Lego(R) Creations
http://www.nwlink.com/~sandlin/lego
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