Acronym

A name for a word that is formed from the initial letters of a term, for example the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health regulations is often shortened to COSHH. Where the word is easily spoken, as in COSHH, it is often referred to as an abbreviation, in contrast to another word which is formed from a term which is clearly not easily spoken as a word and the individual letters themselves are spoken, for example EPDM which is an acronym of Ethylene Propylene Diene Monomer.