Acronyms

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Acronyms are abbreviations that are formed using the initial letters of words or word parts in a phrase or name. Acronyms are usually pronounced in a way that is distinct from that of the full forms for which they stand: as the names of the individual letters (as in PC), as a word (as in scuba), or as a combination (as in CD-ROM).

In the English language, the widespread use of acronyms, initialisms, and contractions is a relatively new linguistic phenomenon, becoming increasingly evident from the the mid-20th century onwards. As literacy rates rose, and as sciences and technologies advanced, bringing with them more complicated terms and concepts, the practice of abbreviating terms became increasingly convenient.