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

Examples
laser radar sonar lidar scuba

anacronym (plural anacronyms)

1. An acronym that is no longer seen as such, but instead treated as a regular word and styled in lowercase 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”, 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 and nearly identical spelling of the terms.

Derived terms

• anacronymic

See also

• backronym

References

• “anacronym”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.