backronym

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backronym

(jargon)
(Backward acronym) A word which has been turned into an acronym by inventing an expansion, rather than the other way around. E.g. "ping".

backronym

(BACKward acRONYM) A reverse acronym. Instead of turning a multi-word term into letters, such as "central processing unit" into CPU, a given set of letters becomes a multi-word term. For example, TEMPEST was a code name that was turned into "Telecommunications Electronics Material Protected from Emanating Spurious Transmissions." DVD originally meant "digital video disc" but was later changed to "digital versatile disc." See acronym.
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