museum designations

[JOSEPH E. LAFERRIERE]

After a series of discussions with several people (both on-
and off-list) yesterday, I am still confused as to
what to call the groups of letters systematists use to
refer to various institutions. It appears there are four
varieties:

1) Acronyms, i.e. pronounceable words formed from the first
or first few letters of the name of the institution, e.g. A from
Arnold Arboretum or USON from Universidad de Sonora;

2) Non-acronymic and non-pronounceable groups of letters,
taken from the name of the institution, e.g. GH, from
Gray Herbarium of Harvard University [unless one were to pronounce
GH so as to be homomnymic with the name of the live worms eaten by
Klingons], or WS from Marion Ownbey Herbarium of Washington
State University;

3) Entire words excerpted from the longer names of
institutions, e.g. AMES from Ames Orchid Herbarium of Harvard
University; and

4) Groups of letters chosen arbitrarily or taken from some
source other than the name of the institution, e.g. KIRI
for Herbarium of the Univerisity of Rhode Island (in
Kingston, Rhode Island, USA).

It stands to reason that there should be some word useful
in referring to any of these groups of letters from any
of the four aforementioned categories. Someone suggested
"codex;" My dictionary defines codex as

"1. Originally, a code, or body of laws; 2. A manuscript volume,
especially of the Scriptures or of a Classical text."

The term "Codon," coined to parallel the arbitrary term "taxon."
might be useful if this did not already have another meaning in
biochemistry. How about "designon?"

--
Dr. Joseph E. Laferriere
"Computito ergo sum ...  I link therefore I am."