initialism

== English == === Etymology === From initial +‎ -ism. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ɪˈnɪʃəlɪzəm/ === Noun === initialism (plural initialisms) (linguistics) A term formed from the initial letters of several words or parts of words, which is itself pronounced letter by letter. Synonym: alphabetism Hypernyms: acronym (broad sense) < abbreviation (broad sense) < word (broad sense) Hyponym: orphan initialism Coordinate term: acronym (strict sense) (linguistics) The process of forming words or terms using initial letters of other words. ==== Usage notes ==== See acronym § Usage notes. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === See also === Category:English shortenings === Further reading === initialism on Wikipedia.Wikipedia “initialism”, in OneLook Dictionary Search. “initialism”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present. “initialism, acronym, abbreviation, shortening, abecedism”, in Google Books Ngram Viewer.