WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025
in•i•tial•ism
(i nish′ə liz′əm),USA pronunciation n.
- a name or term formed from the initial letters of a group of words and pronounced as a separate word, as NATO for North Atlantic Treaty Organization;
an acronym. - a set of initials representing a name, organization, or the like, with each letter pronounced separately, as FBI for Federal Bureau of Investigation.
- the practice of using initials or forming words from initials.
- initial + -ism 1895–1900