May 15, 2003

backronym

n.

[portmanteau of back + acronym] A word interpreted as an acronym that was not originally so intended. This is a special case of what linguists call back formation. Examples are given under recursive acronym (Cygnus), Acme, and mung. Discovering backronyms is a common form of wordplay among hackers. Compare retcon.

Posted by Jargon File at May 15, 2003 10:58 AM

Comments
Post a comment









Remember personal info?