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acrónimo

acronym

noun ah-KROH-nee-moh Rare

Origin: From Greek akron (tip, top) + onyma (name).

Usage Note

Acrónimo in Spanish refers to an abbreviation formed from initials that is pronounced as a word (e.g., OTAN for NATO, ONU for UN). Some Spanish speakers use it interchangeably with sigla (initialism), but strictly an acrónimo is pronounceable as a word while a sigla spells out the letters. The plural is acrónimos.

Examples

"ONU es un acrónimo conocido en todo el mundo."

Natural Translation

UN is an acronym known all over the world.

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