anacronym en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- /əˈnæk.ɹə.nɪm/
Etymology
Perhaps blend of anachronism + acronym but perhaps an- + acronym, in either case indicating an acronymic word that has lost much of its acronymic identity because people usually no longer focus on the etymonic origin when using the word.
Meanings
-
An acronym that is usually no longer thought of as such, but instead treated as a regular word and styled in lower case despite its etymological origin.
When you write about using a waterproof laser pointer while scuba diving, you probably aren’t going to write about “a L.A.S.E.R. pointer for S.C.U.B.A. diving”, because the words laser and scuba are anacronyms.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| anacronyms | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Coordinates
orphan acronym · orphan initialism
Deriveds
Hypernyms
word · abbreviation[Appendix:Glossary · acronym[Appendix:Glossary