Meaning
An abbreviation formed by the initial letters of other words.
Etymology
Origin: Ancient Greek
Borrowed from German Akronym (from Ancient Greek ἄκρον (ákron, “end; peak”) + ὄνυμα (ónuma, “name”)), modelled after Homonym and Synonym, first attested in German in the early 1900s and in English in 1940. By surface analysis, acro- (prefix meaning ‘beginning; high’) + -onym (suffix meaning ‘name’)
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms
NYT Puzzle Appearances
Accepted in 2 recorded puzzles, including a pangram: