Shortening and abbreviation An abbreviation

Lexical abbreviation is the result of shortening of a word or a word-group both in written and oral speech.
-alphabetical abbreviation (initialism) is a shortening which is read as a succession of the alphabetical readings of the constituent letters, e.g. BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), MTV (Music Television), EU (European Union), MP (Member of Parliament), WHO (World Health Organisation), AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) etc.;
-acronymic abbreviation (acronym) is a shortening which is read as a succession of the sounds denoted by the constituent letters, i.e. as if they were an ordinary word, e.g. UNESCO (United Nations Scientific, and Cultural Organisation), NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organisation), UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund) etc.;
-anacronym is an acronym which is longer perceived by speakers as a shortening: very few people remember what each letter stands for, e.g. laser (light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation), radar (radio detecting and ranging), scuba (self-contained underwater breathing apparatus), yuppie (young urban professional).
-homoacronym is an acronym which coincides with an English word semantically connected with the thing, person or phenomenon, e.g. PAWS (Public for Animal Welfare Society), NOW (National Organisation for Women), ASH (Action on Smoking and Health) etc.;
Clipping is the process of cutting off one or several syllables of a word.
apocope (back-clipping) is a final clipping, e.g. prof < professor, disco < discotheque, ad < advertisement, coke < coca-cola;
aphaeresis (fore-clipping) is an initial clipping, e.g. phone < telephone, Bella < Isabella, cello < violoncello;
syncope is a medial clipping, e.g. maths < mathematics, specs < spectacles; ma’m < madam;
fore-and-aft clipping is an initial and final clipping, e.g. flu < influenza, fridge < refrigerator, tec < detective, Liza < Elizabeth;