— acrophonic /ak'reuh fon"ik/ , acrophonetic /ak'reuh feuh net"ik/ , adj. — acrophonically, acrophonetically , adv.
/euh krof"euh nee/ , n. , pl. acrophonies .
1. the use of what was originally a logogram as a phonetic symbol for the initial sound of the word the logogram represented, as, in Semitic writing, the use of a picture of a shepherd's crook to represent the sound /l/ , the first sound of lamed, the Hebrew word for a shepherd's crook.
2. the use of a word as the name of the alphabetical symbol representing the initial sound of that word.
Also, acrology .
[ 1880-85; ACRO- + -PHONY ]