Language expert shares seven words that are actually acronyms
The English language is a vast and complex language that can be hard to navigate during everyday activities. It is very easy to get confused about what is the correct 'there' to use or whether to use affect or effect. On the other hand, there are new things to learn about the language every day.
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, there are approximately 170,000 in the English language and a further 47,000 that are no longer in use. With so many words available to use, it is not a surprise if you manage to make an error or learn something completely new.
In order to try and help people understand the complex language, linguistics expert Laurie Know shares videos on TikTok where he explores the enchanting world of words and shares new knowledge with his followers about various different aspects of the language that they may have never known before.
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In a recent video, Laurie decided to surprise his followers by revealing seven common words that are actually acronyms, reports the Express. An acronym is an abbreviated way of writing a set of words, with the initial letters of the other words being compiled together to make a single word - NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and ASAP (as soon as possible).
1. Captcha
You will normally see this word when verifying your identity on a website to prove you are not a bot trying to gain access. Laurie explained: "It stands for 'Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart'."
2. E-fit
An E-fit is a computer generated image of a person who is believed to have committed a crime. This is created from the description given by a witness. Laurie shared that it stands for 'Electronic Facial Identification Technique'.
3. Taser
It seems like the police likes working with tools that are actually an acronym. Another tool they use is a taser, which Laurie says stands for 'Tom A Swift Electronic Rifle'. Initially, this one may be trickier to understand, but the name comes from Victor Appleton's Tom Swift book series which were released in the 1990's. One book was titled Tom Swift and His Electric Rifle.
4. BASE Jumping
BASE jumping is an extreme sport which involves leaping from fixed structures, such as a bridge or a very tall building. This is included in the list as Laurie explains that the full name of this dangerous sport is 'Buildings Antennas Spans Earth' Jumping. This is otherwise a list of the fourth categories of structures these fearless athletes will leap from.
5. Scuba Diving
The acronym of the word scuba helps describe what is used in the activity to help you swim underwater and explore the world in which fish live. Laurie explained that it stands for 'Self Contained Underwater Breathing Aid'.
6. Laser
The most commonly used word on Laurie's list is the word laser, and many people were unaware it was an acronym. A laser is a device that produces a beam of coherent monochromatic light, and Laurie says that it stands for 'Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation'.
7. Gulag
The final word on the list is gulag. Maybe not the most well known word, and Laurie reveals that is actually an Russian acronym used in the English language. It essentially refers to a system of labour camps maintained in the Soviet Union between 1930 and 1955.
Laurie stated: "It essentially means 'Chief Administration of Corrective Labour Camps' [in translation]". However, it's native language, it stands for 'Glavnoe Upravlenie ispravitel'no-trudovykh LAGerei'.
One TikTok user shared their surprise writing: "Every day is a school day, love these." Another agreed saying: "Brilliant! Learned something new again!". A third shared: "I already knew about scuba and laser, I should've known about taser."
A fourth commenter threw another word into the mix, stating: "TWAIN is one I like, 'Technology Without An Interesting Name'."
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