This is the word I've coined to describe the syndrome suffered by people too ignorant to recognize what a particular acronym stands for. An acronym, you may know, is a word or string of letters used like a word that is formed from the first letter or letters of, generally, the major words of a larger phrase. Some examples:

ASAP is As Soon As Possible
RADAR is RAdio Detection And Ranging
LASER is Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation
A comprehensive list of acronyms can be found at http://www.acronymfinder.com/.

We run into acronymisitis when an acronym contains common words and we forget which words are included. When an acronym includes a word, that word becomes unnecessary, in most cases, to use in the sentence independently. The chronic acronymismatic is most likely to spotted using the final word of an acronym a second time. Some very popular examples (followed by the phrases spelled out to illustrate the redundancy) include:

PIN Number: Personal Identification Number number
ATM Machine: Automated Teller Machine machine
TCBY Yogurt: The Country's Best Yogurt Yogurt
As this last example shows, the symptoms of acronymisitis can touch millions of people from one attack. Children, tourists, and AARP members all have been exposed to the acronymismatic signage used by the food chain in question.

Won't you please help these poor people? There isn't yet a cure to this tragic disease, but together we can find one. Thank you.

Terence Ward
http://otherlleft.com