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"PROD" is an acronym (a shortened form of a more formal name for something). What it isn't is an initialism (a word coined by taking the first initial of a desc
by bregma 3y ago
"PROD" is an acronym (a shortened form of a more formal name for something). What it isn't is an initialism (a word coined by taking the first initial of a descriptive phrase). Traditionally, both initialisms (eg. CPU) and acronyms (eg. NORAD) use all majescule typography. Sometimes the coined words become common usages and are commonly rendered in capital or miniscule case as appropriate (eg. radar, scuba).
This is, of course, descriptive typography. Prescriptive typography will vary from style manual to style manual.
- Calavar 3y agoI think you're getting the definition of acronym mixed up with that of abbreviation. An acronym is an initialism that is pronounced as if it is a natural word. For example, NASA is both an initialism and an acronym. FBI is an initialism, but not an acronym. Well that's the dictionary definition anyway. In practical terms, I think most people use acronym as a synonym of initialism, at least in the US. This is one of the places where the dictionary definition doesn't match with real world usage.