View source for Recursive acronym

{{Short description|Acronym whose expansion includes a copy of itself}}

A '''recursive acronym''' is an acronym that [[Recursion|refers to itself]], and appears most frequently in computer programming. The term was first used in print in 1979 in [[Biography:Douglas Hofstadter|Douglas Hofstadter]]'s book ''[[Gödel, Escher, Bach|Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid]]'', in which Hofstadter invents the acronym GOD, meaning "GOD Over Djinn", to help explain infinite series, and describes it as a recursive acronym.<ref>{{ cite web | url = http://www.math.cornell.edu/~mec/Summer2009/ABjorndahl/extension.html |title = Puzzles and Paradoxes: Infinity in Finite Terms |access-date=2013-04-23 }}</ref> Other references followed,<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.wordspy.com/words/recursiveacronym.asp | title = WordSpy—Recursive Acronym | access-date = 2008-12-18 | archive-date = 8 October 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141008144546/http://www.wordspy.com/words/recursiveacronym.asp | url-status = dead }}</ref> however the concept was used as early as 1968 in John Brunner's science fiction novel ''Stand on Zanzibar''. In the story, the acronym EPT (Education for Particular Task) later morphed into "Eptification for Particular Task".

Recursive acronyms typically form [[Social:Backronym|backwardly]]: either an existing ordinary acronym is given a new explanation of what the letters stand for, or a name is turned into an acronym by giving the letters an explanation of what they stand for, in each case with the first letter standing recursively for the whole acronym.

==Use in computing==
In [[Computing|computing]], an early tradition in the hacker community, especially at [[Organization:Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]], was to choose acronyms and abbreviations that referred humorously to themselves or to other abbreviations. Perhaps the earliest example in this context is the [[Social:Backronym|backronym]] "Mash Until No Good", which was created in 1960 to describe [[Mung (computer term)|Mung]], and revised to "Mung Until No Good". It lived on as a recursive command in the editing language TECO.<sup>[[Mung (computer term)|[3]]]</sup> In 1977<ref name="eine">Electronic message to BUG-LISPM, Daniel Weinreb, 8 August 1977</ref> programmer Ted Anderson coined TINT ("TINT Is Not TECO"), an editor for MagicSix. This inspired the two MIT Lisp Machine editors called EINE ("EINE Is Not [[Software:Emacs|Emacs]]", German for ''one'') and ZWEI ("ZWEI Was EINE Initially", German for ''two''), in turn inspiring Anderson's retort SINE ("SINE is not EINE"). [[Biography:Richard Stallman|Richard Stallman]] followed with [[Software:GNU|GNU]] (GNU's Not [[Software:Unix|Unix]]).

Recursive acronym examples often include negatives, such as denials that the thing defined is or resembles something else (which the thing defined does in fact resemble or is even derived from), to indicate that, despite the similarities, it was distinct from the program on which it was based.<ref>[http://fsfe.org/freesoftware/transcripts/rms-fs-2006-03-09.en.html#the-name-gnu The Free Software Movement and the Future of Freedom: The name "GNU"], Richard Stallman, March 9th 2006</ref>

An earlier example appears in a 1976 textbook on data structures, in which the pseudo-language SPARKS is used to define the algorithms discussed in the text. "SPARKS" is claimed to be a non-acronymic name, but "several cute ideas have been suggested" as expansions of the name. One of the suggestions is "Smart Programmers Are Required to Know SPARKS".<ref>Fundamentals Of Data Structures (Ellis Horowitz & [[Biography:Sartaj Sahni|Sartaj Sahni]], Computer Science Press, 1976)</ref> (this example is tail recursive)

Other examples are the [[YAML]] language, which stands for "YAML ain't a markup language" and [[Organization:PHP|PHP]] language meaning "PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor".

===Examples===
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* Allegro: Allegro Low LEvel Game ROutines (early versions for Atari ST were called "Atari Low Level Game Routines")
* AROS: AROS Research Operating System (originally Amiga Research Operating System)
* [[Company:ATI Technologies|ATI]]: ATI Technologies Inc.
* [[Software:Bird Internet routing daemon|BIRD]]: BIRD Internet Routing Daemon
* CAVE: CAVE Automatic Virtual Environment
* [[Software:CURL|cURL]]: Curl URL Request Library<ref>{{cite web |url=http://daniel.haxx.se/blog/2015/03/20/curl-17-years-old-today/ |title=curl, 17 years old today |last1=Stenberg |first1=Daniel |date=20 March 2015 |website=daniel.haxx.se |access-date=20 March 2015}}</ref>
* [[Software:Darcs|Darcs]]: Darcs Advanced Revision Control System
* EINE: EINE Is Not Emacs
* FIJI: FIJI Is Just [[Software:ImageJ|ImageJ]]
* GiNaC: GiNaC is Not a CAS (Computer Algebra System)
* [[Software:GNU|GNU]]: GNU's Not Unix
* [[GNE (encyclopedia)]]: GNE's Not an Encyclopedia
* [[Software:GPE Palmtop Environment|GPE]]: GPE Palmtop Environment
* [[Software:GRPC|gRPC]]: grpc Remote Procedure Calls
* KGS: KGS Go Server
* [[Software:LAME|LAME]]: LAME Ain't an [[MP3]] Encoder<ref name="lame">{{cite web| url = http://lame.sourceforge.net/about.php | title = About LAME|access-date=2016-02-20}}</ref>
* [[Software:LiVES|LiVES]]: LiVES is a Video Editing System
* [[Software:Freemacs|MINT]]: MINT Is Not TRAC
* [[Software:MiNT|MiNT]]: MiNT is Not TOS (later changed to "MiNT is Now TOS")
* [[Mung (computer term)|Mung]]: Mung Until No Good<ref name="mung">{{cite web|url= http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/M/mung.html| title = The Jargon File: Mung | access-date = 2007-10-15}}</ref>
* [[Software:Nagios|Nagios]]: Nagios Ain't Gonna Insist On Sainthood (a reference to the previous name of Nagios, "Netsaint"; ''agios'' [αγιος] is the Greek word for "saint")
* NiL: NiL Isn't Liero
* Ninja-ide: Ninja-IDE Is Not Just Another IDE
* [[Organization:PHP|PHP]]: PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor (from "Personal Home Page Tools", more frequently referenced as "PHP Tools."<ref name="History of PHP">{{cite web|title=History of PHP|url=http://www.php.net/manual/en/history.php.php|publisher=php.net}}</ref>)
* PINE: PINE Is Nearly Elm, originally; PINE now officially stands for "Pine Internet News and E-mail"<ref name="pine-origins">{{ cite web | url = http://www.island-resort.com/pine.htm | title = What Pine Really Stands For | access-date = 2007-03-06 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110607212819/http://www.island-resort.com/pine.htm | archive-date = 2011-06-07 }}</ref>
* PIP: PIP Installs Packages
* [[Software:P.I.P.S.|P.I.P.S.]]: P.I.P.S. Is POSIX on Symbian
* [[Portable Network Graphics|PNG]]: officially "Portable Network Graphics", but unofficially "PNG's not GIF".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Web Review: PNG's NOT GIF!|url=https://people.apache.org/~jim/NewArchitect/webrevu/1997/05_09/designers/05_09_97_1.html|access-date=2021-11-24|website=people.apache.org|first= Greg |last=Roelofs}}</ref>
* [[Software:RPM Package Manager|RPM]]: RPM Package Manager
* [[SPARQL]]: SPARQL Protocol And RDF Query Language
* TikZ: TikZ ist kein Zeichenprogramm (German; TikZ is not a drawing program)
* TiLP: TiLP is a Linking Program
* [[Software:GNU nano#History|TIP]]: TIP isn't [[Software:Pico (text editor)|Pico]]
* [[TRESOR]]: TRESOR Runs Encryption Securely Outside RAM
* UIRA: UIRA Isn't a Recursive Acronym
* [[Software:Wine|WINE]]: WINE Is Not an Emulator<ref name="wine">{{cite web|url=http://wiki.winehq.org/FAQ#head-8b4fbbe473bd0d51d936bcf298f5b7f0e8d25f2e|title=FAQ—The Official Wine Wiki|access-date=2009-01-16}}</ref> (Originally, Windows Emulator<ref>{{cite web|url=https://winehq.org/docs/winedev-guide/x2540|title=Wine architecture|publisher=Wine HQ|access-date=16 June 2012}}</ref>)
* [[Software:XAMPP|XAMPP]]: XAMPP Apache MariaDB PHP Perl
* XBMC: XBMC Media Center (originally Xbox Media Center)
* XINU: XINU Is Not Unix
* [[Software:Microsoft XNA|XNA]]: XNA's Not Acronymed
* [[YAML]]: YAML Ain't Markup Language (initially "Yet Another Markup Language")
* [[YARA]]: Yara: Another Recursive Acronym
* [[Software:Zinf|Zinf]]: Zinf Is Not FreeAmp
* ZWEI: ZWEI Was EINE Initially ("eins" and "zwei" are German for "one" and "two" respectively)
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==Other examples==
===Companies and organizations===
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* BWIA: BWIA West Indies Airways (formerly British West Indian Airways)<ref>{{Cite web|title=Airline Timetable Images|url=https://www.timetableimages.com/|access-date=2021-11-16|website=www.timetableimages.com}}</ref>
* [[Company:Cygnus Solutions|Cygnus Solutions]]: "Cygnus, Your GNU Solutions"
* HIJOS: Hijos por la Identidad y la Justicia contra el Olvido y el Silencio
* HIM: HIM International Music, Taiwanese independent record label
* [[Software:JACK Audio Connection Kit|JACK]]: JACK Audio Connection Kit
* [[Engineering:Mazda MX-5|MIATA]]: MIATA is Always the Answer
* [[Software:Mega (service)|MEGA]]: MEGA Encrypted Global Access<ref>{{cite web|title=MEGA|url=https://mega.co.nz/#help|access-date=19 January 2013}}</ref>
* MOM: MOM's Organic Market<ref>{{cite web |title=MOM's Organic Market homepage |url=https://momsorganicmarket.com/ |publisher=MOM's Organic Market |access-date=8 June 2022}}</ref>
* SAAB: Saab Automobile AB
* TAP: TAP Air Portugal
* VISA: Visa International Service Association<ref>{{Cite web|title=Visa International Service Association|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/4824Z:US|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210425235757/https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/4824Z:US|archive-date=April 25, 2021|access-date=2021-11-16|website=www.bloomberg.com}}</ref>
* [[Biology:ZINC database|ZINC]]: ZINC Is Not Commercial
* OIL: Oil India Limited
{{Div col end}}

===In media===
*The initials for the [[Biology:Commodore CDTV|Commodore CDTV]] stand for Commodore Commodore Dynamic Total Vision.
* TTP: a technology project in the ''Dilbert'' comic strip. The initials stand for "The TTP Project".<ref>{{cite web |title=Dilbert's TTP Project |url=http://dilbert.com/strip/1994-05-18 |website=Dilbert |access-date=9 July 2018}}</ref>
* GRUNGE: defined by Homer Simpson in ''The Simpsons'' episode ''That '90s Show'' as "Guitar Rock Utilizing Nihilist Grunge Energy", another uncommon example of a recursive acronym whose recursive letter is neither the first nor the last letter.
* BOB: the primary antagonist from the series ''Twin Peaks''. His name itself is an acronym standing for "Beware of BOB".
* KOS-MOS: a character from the ''[[Software:Xenosaga|Xenosaga]]'' series of video games. "KOS-MOS" is a recursive acronym meaning "Kosmos Obey Strategical Multiple Operating Systems". 
* Hiroshi Yoshimura's "A・I・R" stands for "AIR IN RESORT".

===Special===
* The [[Software:GNU Hurd|GNU Hurd]] project is named with a mutually recursive acronym: "Hurd" stands for "Hird of Unix-Replacing Daemons", and "Hird" stands for "Hurd of Interfaces Representing Depth."
* RPM, PHP, XBMC and YAML were originally conventional acronyms which were later redefined recursively. They are examples of, or may be referred to as, backronymization,{{Citation needed|date=September 2010|reason=There's little evidence that this word exists outside of Wikipedia.}} where the official meaning of an acronym is changed.
* [[Software:Jini|Jini]] claims the distinction of being the first recursive anti-acronym: 'Jini Is Not Initials'.<ref>[http://www.artima.com/jini/faq.html#acronym ''FAQ for JINI-USERS Mailing List''], Retrieved 18 November 2013</ref><ref>Introduction to ''The Jini Specification,'' Arnold et al, Pearson, 1999, {{ISBN|0201616343}}</ref> It might, however, be more properly termed an anti-backronym because the term "Jini" never stood for anything in the first place. The more recent "[[Software:Microsoft XNA|XNA]]", on the other hand, was deliberately designed that way.
* Most recursive acronyms are recursive on the first letter, which is therefore an arbitrary choice, often selected for reasons of humour, ease of pronunciation, or consistency with an earlier acronym that used the same letters for different words, such as PHP, which now stands for "PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor", but was originally "Personal Home Page". However YOPY, "Your own personal YOPY" is recursive on the last letter.
* A joke implying that the middle initial "B." in the name of Benoit B. Mandelbrot stands for "Benoit B. Mandelbrot" plays on the idea that fractals, which Mandelbrot studied, repeat themselves at smaller and smaller scales when examined closely.

===Other===
* According to Hayyim Vital, a 16th–17th century [[Unsolved:Kabbalah|kabbalist]], the [[Social:Hebrew language|Hebrew]] word ''adam'' (אדם, meaning "man") is an acronym for ''adam, dibbur, maaseh'' (man, speech, deed).<ref>[https://www.sefaria.org/Pri_Etz_Chaim%2C_Gate_of_Rosh_Hashana.2.23?lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en Pri Etz Chaim, Gate of Rosh Hashana 2:23]</ref>
* According to Isaac Luria, a 16th-century kabbalist, the Hebrew word ''tzitzit'' (ציצת in its Biblical spelling, meaning "ritual fringes") is an acronym for ''tzaddik yafrid tzitziyotav tamid'' ("a righteous person should separate [the strings of] his ''tzitzit'' constantly").<ref>[https://www.sefaria.org.il/Mishnah_Berurah.8.18?vhe=Wikitext&lang=bi&with=all&lang2=en Mishnah Brurah, 8:18]</ref>

==See also==
* {{Annotated link|Pleonasm#Bilingual tautological expressions|Bilingual tautological expressions}}
* {{Annotated link|RAS syndrome}} (Redundant Acronym Syndrome syndrome)
* {{Annotated link|Self-reference}}
* TLA, the three-letter acronym for three-letter acronyms
* {{Annotated link|Web Ontology Language}}, which intentionally uses the acronym "OWL"

== References ==
{{Reflist}}
* {{JargonFile}}

==External links==

[[Category:Recursion]]

it:Acronimo#Acronimo ricorsivo

{{Sourceattribution|Recursive acronym}}