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Some have erroneously extended the term acronym in meaning to describe all abbreviations made from initial letters, regardless of pronunciation.
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If society as a whole decides that a word means something, then that's what it means. There are no grammar gods that hand down definitions of words.
The MW entry for
podium now includes "lectern" as a subdefinition. At one time a podium was something you stood
on, while a lectern was something you stood
behind, but the incorrect usage of "podium" has become so popular that it's now considered correct usage.