RAS syndrome (where "RAS" stands for "redundant acronym syndrome", making the phrase "RAS syndrome" homological) is the redundant use of one or more of the words that make up an acronym (or other initialism) in conjunction with the abbreviated form. This means, in effect, repeating one or more words from the acronym. Three common examples are "PIN number" / "VIN number" (the "N" in PIN and VIN stands for "number") and "ATM machine" (the "M" in ATM stands for "machine"). The term RAS syndrome was coined in 2001 in a light-hearted column in New Scientist.Many style guides advise against usage of these redundant acronyms in formal contexts, but they are widely used in colloquial speech.
Examples
Examples of RAS phrases include:
DC Comics (Detective Comics Comics)
HIV virus (human immunodeficiency virus virus)
LCD display (liquid crystal display display)
UPC code (universal product code code)Reasons for use
Although there are many instances in editing where removal of redundancy...
Danilo
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