this post was submitted on 05 Oct 2024
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what is it then?
It's an abbreviation.
Not all abbreviations are acronyms, only the ones that take the first letter from each word. Lego takes two letters from each word, so it's not an acronym.
On a similar note, some but not all acronyms are initialisms, if they're spoken as the letters rather than the "word" they create.
FYI, DIY, PS are all initialisms, and also acronyms, and also abbreviations. ASAP, SCUBA, and LASER are acronyms and abbreviations, but not initialisms. Lego, appt, and st are all abbreviations but neither acronyms nor initialisms.
why is english like this... we just call it "shortening".
Why does a language have different words for different concepts?
in my language we tend to use base words to broadly describe concepts, and combinations of words for more accuracy.
I think the "correct" usage of acronym is only when it is spoken as a word. But language evolves and all that.
You can see the tension in the way MW defines it (including the extended description). Like: here's the definition of the word, but some people use it when they actually mean initialism. This is in contrast to your more concise and cohesive definition of "[abbreviations] that take the first letter from each word". https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/acronym
I always thought acronym is a subset of initialism, not the other way around.
That's a really good breakdown of the differences!
Now if you'll excuse me I have a few Ell-Ee-Gee-Oh sets to put together. :p