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Path: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au!newshost.carno.net.au!harbinger.cc.monash.edu.au!news.uwa.edu.au!disco.iinet.net.au!news1.mpcs.com!zephyr.texoma.net!www.nntp.primenet.com!nntp.primenet.com!feed1.news.erols.com!newsfeed.internetmci.com!news.wwa.com!gail.ripco.com!not-for-mail From: daedalus <daedalus@ripco.com> Newsgroups: comp.unix.shell,comp.os.linux.misc,comp.os.linux.x,alt.os.linux,comp.unix.bsd.misc,comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc,gnu.misc.discuss,comp.unix.solaris Subject: Re: unix acronyms -collecting a list? Date: Mon, 09 Jun 1997 19:49:40 -0500 Organization: Ripco Communications Inc. Lines: 32 Message-ID: <339CA4A4.2A1A9E65@ripco.com> References: <337C64F0.41C6@cs.ucc.ie> <5lsbv4$id8@bmtlh10.bnr.ca> <3383FA57.4855@uab.ericsson.se> <EAMxy9.EF4@cogsci.ed.ac.uk> <A01469D243A414B4.60EFD3C313DDF166.4A538EC778681837@library-proxy.airnews.net> <3396D1DD.6495@qanv.pbz> <3398849a.13740572@news.dircon.co.uk> NNTP-Posting-Host: morph.ripco.com Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.01 (X11; I; Linux 2.0.27 i586) Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.unix.shell:45890 comp.os.linux.misc:179612 comp.os.linux.x:63938 alt.os.linux:22080 comp.unix.bsd.misc:3541 comp.unix.bsd.freebsd.misc:42660 gnu.misc.discuss:31730 comp.unix.solaris:109114 Mike Ellis wrote: > > Michael Sierchio <xhqmh@qanv.pbz> wrote: > > >Mike Ellis wrote: > > > >> Sorry to spoil the fun but these are not acronyms. An acronym is an > >> abbreviation which can be pronounced as if it were a word. How on > >> earth does one pronounce tcsh ? Most TLAs (three letter acronyms) are > >> not TLAs at all. In fact TLA is not a TLA itself. > > > >Speaking authoritatively means you should be right, but you know not > >whereof you speak. A "pronounceable" acronym is what you describe, and > >while in the US Armed Forces, many have spent sleepless nights coming > >up with acronyms that met the pronounceable requirement. > > > >The definition of acronym, since you are too lazy or proud to > >consult a dictionary: > > > >acronym > > > >Merriam-Webster's CollegiateŽ Dictionary > > > >ac.ro.nym n [acr- + -onym] (1943): a word (as radar or snafu) formed from the > >initial letter or letters of each of the successive parts or major parts of a > >compound term -- ac.ro.nym.ic adj -- ac.ro.nym.i.cal.ly adv > > > > > I'm not too lazy or proud to look it up in a dictionary, but my 13 > volume Oxford English Dictionary has no entry for acronym. Are you sure it's not supposed to be a 14 volume dictionary?