Definition of Terms

The following definitions are offered for abbreviations, acronyms, and initialisms, as used on this web site.

• An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or a phrase used in place of the word or phrase in which only the letter(s) are pronounced (e.g., NRC). An abbreviation may be formed from just the initial letter of a word (e.g., J for joule); some of the initial letters of a phrase (e.g., UT for The University of Tennessee); or all of the initial letters of a phrase (e.g., TVA for Tennessee Valley Authority). Although the abbreviations of chemical elements and units of measurement are called symbols, they are often referred to in this document as abbreviations.
• An acronym is a pronounceable word formed from more than just the initial letters of each of the successive parts or major parts of a compound term (e.g., radar is the acronym of radio detecting and ranging).
• An initialism is an acronym (pronounceable word) formed from only the initial letters of the major words in a compound term (e.g., NASA is the initialism of National Aeronautics and Space Administration).

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