Abbreviation

ab·bre·vi·a·tion [ə br vee ·ysh’n] (plural ab·bre·vi·a·tions)

noun
1. reduced form: a shortened form of a word or phrase
2. reduction: the shortening of a word or phrase to be used
to represent the full form

WORD KEY: USAGE NOTE

Types of abbreviation
There are four main kinds of abbreviation:
shortenings, contractions, initialisms, and acronyms.

1 Shortenings of words usually consist of the first few letters of

the full form and are sometimes spelled with a final period when
they are still regarded as abbreviations, for example, cent. =
century, foll. = following (in page references). In many cases
they form words in their own right, and in these cases the
period is omitted, for example, gym = gymnasium, hippo =
hippopotamus, limo = limousine. Such shortenings are often but
not always informal in nature. Some become the standard forms,
and the full forms are then regarded as formal or technical, for
example, bus = omnibus, taxi = taxicab, deli = delicatessen, zoo
= zoological garden. Sometimes shortenings are altered to
facilitate their pronunciation or spelling: • bike = bicycle

2 Contractions are abbreviated forms in which letters from the

middle of the full form have been omitted, for example, Dr. =
doctor, St. = saint. Such forms are invariably followed by a
period. Another kind of contraction is the type can’t = cannot,
didn’t = did not, you’ve = you have, with an apostrophe marking
the omission of letters.

3 Initialisms are made up of the initial letters of words and are

pronounced as separate letters: CIA (or C.I.A. ), NYC, pm (or
p.m. ), US (or U.S. ). Practice varies with regard to periods, with
current usage increasingly in favor of omitting them, especially
when the initialism consists entirely of capital letters.

4 Acronyms are initialisms that have become words in their own

right, and are pronounced as words rather than as a series of
letters, for example, AIDS, laser, scuba, UNESCO . In many cases
the acronym becomes the standard term and the full form is
only used in explanatory contexts.

Encarta® World English Dictionary © & (P) 1999 Microsoft Corporation. All
rights reserved. Developed for Microsoft by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.
1

1Encarta® World English Dictionary © & (P) 1999 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Developed
for Microsoft by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.