Backronym

A backronym, or bacronym, is an acronym formed from an already existing word. Backronyms may be invented with either serious or humorous intent, or they may be a type of false etymology or folk etymology. The word is a blend of back and acronym. For example, the United States Department of Justice's Amber Alert program was named after Amber Hagerman, a 9-year-old abducted and murdered in 1996; but officials later publicized the backronym "America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response".

Backronym

A backronym, or bacronym, is an acronym formed from an already existing word. Backronyms may be invented with either serious or humorous intent, or they may be a type of false etymology or folk etymology. The word is a blend of back and acronym. For example, the United States Department of Justice's Amber Alert program was named after Amber Hagerman, a 9-year-old abducted and murdered in 1996; but officials later publicized the backronym "America's Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response".