Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
recursive acronym. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
recursive acronym, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
recursive acronym in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
recursive acronym you have here. The definition of the word
recursive acronym will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
recursive acronym, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
From recursive + acronym, originating in early hacker culture and later popularized by Douglas Hofstadter.
Noun
recursive acronym (plural recursive acronyms)
- An acronym in which a word (often the first) of the phrase represented by the acronym is the acronym itself.
1983 April, Douglas R. Hofstadter, “Metamagical Themas”, in Scientific American, →ISSN, page 20:I used the odd variable name “tato”, mentioning that it is a recursive acronym standing for “tato (and tato only)”. Using this fact you can expand “tato” any number of times.
Translations
an acronym in which a word of the phrase represented by the acronym is the acronym itself
See also
Further reading