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A Dictionary of the Internet

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition

abbreviation

abbreviation in writing, arbitrary shortening of a word, usually by cutting off letters from the end, as in U.S. and Gen. (General). Contraction serves the same purpose but is understood strictly to be the shortening of a word by cutting out letters in the middle, the omission sometimes being indicated by an apostrophe, as in the word don't. Most abbreviations are followed by a period. Usage, however, differs widely, and recently omission of periods has become common, as in NATO and UN. Acronyms are combinations of the first letters/syllables in a group of words to form a new grouping of letters that can be pronounced as a word. A period is never used when apostrophes appear. A list of abbreviations used in this encyclopedia may be found in the prefatory matter.

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abbreviation

A Dictionary of the Internet | 2001 | | Â© A Dictionary of the Internet 2001, originally published by Oxford University Press 2001. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

abbreviation The Web and the Internet float on a flood of abbreviations. They are often used to save time when posting to a NEWSGROUP or writing an EMAIL. This dictionary contains most of the common abbreviations used in such forums: see, for example, AFAIK and BBL.

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DARREL INCE. "abbreviation." A Dictionary of the Internet. 2001. Encyclopedia.com. 9 Jul. 2009 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

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DARREL INCE. "abbreviation." A Dictionary of the Internet. 2001. Retrieved July 09, 2009 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O12-abbreviation.html

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