2014-04-26 15:52:28 +01:00
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backronym
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2014-04-26 16:54:15 +01:00
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n. [portmanteau of back + acronym] A word interpreted as an acronym that was
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not originally so intended. This is a special case of what linguists call
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back formation. Examples are given under recursive acronym (Cygnus), Acme ,
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and mung. Discovering backronyms is a common form of wordplay among hackers.
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Compare retcon.
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