On Thu, Oct 14, 2010 at 4:31 PM, Steve Comstock <[email protected]> wrote: > Retronym! Cool word. My understanding would be "a set of words > made up to match an acronym". I've always thought SPOOL was like > that.
> Any way, merriam-webster.com/dictionary has a different take: > Definition of RETRONYM > * a term consisting of a noun and a modifier which specifies the original > meaning of the noun <"film camera" is a retronym > Origin of RETRONYM > retro- + -onym > First Known Use: 1980 The correct name for the alleged meaning for SPOOL and SHARE is "backronym", also a neologism, but an accepted term among linguists. -- ...phsiii Phil Smith III [email protected] Voltage Security, Inc. www.voltage.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to [email protected] with the message: GET IBM-MAIN INFO Search the archives at http://bama.ua.edu/archives/ibm-main.html
