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Technically it isn't, since AIM is "AOL Instant Messenger", where AOL happens to also be an acronym, but it isn't America On-Line Instant Messenger, since then

Technically it isn't, since AIM is "AOL Instant Messenger", where AOL happens to also be an acronym, but it isn't America On-Line Instant Messenger, since then it'd be AOLIM.

drusepth 5y ago
I wonder if there's a word for these kinds of nested or multi-layer acronyms. Acronyms in acronyms.
- ModernMech 5y ago
  It's like a recursive acronym with a base case, so it terminates. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recursive_acronym https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recursive_acronym
  - hoosieree 5y ago
    Somebody needs to make a recursive acronym in the shape of the Ackermann function.
  - onaworkcomputer 5y ago
    It's not recursive, though -- that would only be true if AOL stood for AIM On-Line. Maybe "nested acronym" is a better term?
    - DougMellon 5y ago
      > Multi-layered acronyms: AIM: "AOL Instant Messenger," in which "AOL" originally stood for "America Online" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acronym https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acronym