Interpol

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The International Criminal Police Organization, a multinational law enforcement agency that facilitates cooperation among national police forces ; to estimate or calculate an unknown value that lies between two known values
2. An intergovernmental organization coordinating criminal investigations across member nations ; to determine an intermediate value by assuming a relationship between surrounding known data points
3. A global police coordination body enabling countries to share information and coordinate operations ; to infer an intermediate quantity by mathematical or logical interpolation between established reference points

Etymology: Interpol is a syllabic abbreviation of "international police," built by joining the first syllables of the two words: "inter" from "international" and "pol" from "police." The name is the official telegraphic address of the organisation, which is why it reads like a shortened code rather than a dictionary word. The pattern is a simple one. Two words are cut down to their opening syllables and fused into a single term that is easier to say and to send by telegraph. Because the name refers to a specific body rather than a general concept, its meaning has not drifted: it still names the international policing organisation, and the word has become the everyday shorthand for that body.