Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site ucla-cs.ARPA
Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!ittatc!dcdwest!sdcsvax!sdcrdcf!ucla-cs!das
From: das@ucla-cs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: Re: Searching for a word
Message-ID: <8933@ucla-cs.ARPA>
Date: Thu, 13-Feb-86 02:10:14 EST
Article-I.D.: ucla-cs.8933
Posted: Thu Feb 13 02:10:14 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 14-Feb-86 07:21:42 EST
References: <361@uw-june> <484@mmm.UUCP>
Reply-To: das@ucla-cs.UUCP (David Smallberg)
Organization: UCLA Computer Science Department
Lines: 24
Keywords: acronym

In article <484@mmm.UUCP> mrgofor@mmm.UUCP (MKR) writes:
>
>As a side note - can anyone verify a piece of trivia I picked up somewhere?
>I heard that "acronym" itself is an acronym. If so, does anyone know what
>it stands for?

You can check the answer yourself by consulting a dictionary (most give
etymologies).  Greek "akros" (point) + "onyma" (name).

Why is it that when people don't know the origin of a word, they often
conclude that it's an acronym?  I'll go crazy if I hear another person say
that "tip" comes from "to insure promptness", "posh" from "port out, starboard
home", "fuck" from "for unlawful carnal knowledge" or "fornication under
consent of the King", etc.  Doesn't anyone know how to use a reliable
dictionary?!  And doesn't it cross anyone's mind that acronyms that come from
the first letters of words (but not the ones that derive from first syllables)
are not likely to arise in non-literate societies?

Challenge:  Find a pronounceable word that originated as an acronym before,
say, 1800.  The Greek "IXTHYS" pun doesn't count, of course, since the acronym
was just a play on an existing word (the word means "fish", but is also an
acronym for the Greek phrase meaning "Jesus Christ, son of God").

-- David Smallberg, das@locus.ucla.edu, {ihnp4,ucbvax}!ucla-cs!das