1.6.1 Abbreviated terminology is intended to provide uniform contractions of terms relating to plastic piping that have evolved through widespread common usage. The compilation in this standard has been prepared to avoid the occurrence of more than one abbreviated term for a given plastics piping term and to avoid multiple meanings for abbreviated terms.

1.6.2 The abbreviated terminology and descriptions in this standard are intended to be consistent with usage in plastics piping and the standards under F17 jurisdiction. Other ASTM Committees may assign a different word-phrase description to the same abbreviated terminology. In such cases, the abbreviated terms in this standard shall apply to usage in F17 standards, or if widespread misunderstanding could result from conflicting abbreviated terminology descriptions, the abbreviated terminology for the word-phrase shall not be used in F17 standards.

1.6.3 Acronyms and Initialisms—A word formed from the letters or parts of words of a longer word-phrase, usually from the initial letters or parts of the words. An Acronym is pronounced as a word, for example radar, for radio detection and ranging. An Initialism is pronounced as a series of letters, for example DOT for Department of Transportation.

1.6.4 The Acronym or Initialism description is the origin word-phrase for the Acronym or Initialism, not a definition.