anacronym

English

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.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /əˈnæk.ɹə.nɪm/
• Rhymes: -ækɹənɪm
• Homophone: anachronym

Noun

anacronym (plural anacronyms)

1. An acronym whose etymonic origin is incidental to the discussion at hand, and thus not worth mentioning or explaining in the context (or perhaps even worth remembering at all, for most speakers). Thus the word stands on its own with identity as a full-fledged word and not solely an acronym despite acronymic etymology, and (in the strongest cases, including laser, radar, sonar, lidar, and scuba) usually takes lowercased styling (because to capitalize it would represent undue emphasis on its etymonic origin). Relatedly, unlike with many other acronyms, spelling it out within a sentence is usually counterproductive to clarity and style.

   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", and you certainly aren't going to write about "a light-amplification-by-stimulated-emission-of-radiation pointer for self-contained-underwater-breathing-apparatus diving", because the words laser and scuba are anacronyms.

Usage notes

Do not confuse an anacronym (such as radar or scuba) with an anachronym (such as lead pencil or tin foil), despite the homophony of the terms.

Derived terms

• anacronymic

References

• “anacronym”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.