backronym

A backronym is a form of wordplay in which an existing word or acronym is given a new, often explanatory expansion after the fact. The term combines back with acronym and is used to describe this retroactive process, contrasting with acronyms formed from phrases in advance.

Backronyms are common in technology, science fiction, and branding because they provide a mnemonic device and can convey a self-descriptive or humorous meaning. They may be recursive, embedding the word within its own expansion.

Notable examples include GNU's Not Unix, a recursive backronym used by the Free Software Foundation to describe the GNU project as not Unix; and Wine Is Not an Emulator, used by the Wine project as a backronym for WINE. A popular but unofficial example is Never A Straight Answer, a joking backronym often attributed to NASA or to discussions of space exploration; it is not an official designation.

Critics argue that backronyms can be misleading when presented as official definitions or historical origins, and may privilege witty wordplay over precise terminology. Proponents view them as a linguistic device that can aid memory, branding, and culture.