from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Iso- \I"so-\, Is- \Is-\ [Gr. 'i`sos equal.]
A prefix or combining form, indicating identity, or equality;
the same numerical value; as in isopod, isomorphous,
isochromatic. Specif.:
(a) (Chem.) Applied to certain compounds having the same
composition but different properties; as in isocyanic.
(b) (Organic Chem.) Applied to compounds of certain isomeric
series in whose structure one carbon atom, at least, is
connected with three other carbon atoms; -- contrasted
with neo- and normal; as in isoparaffine; isopentane.
[1913 Webster]
from
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (8 July 2008)
International Organization for Standardization
International Organisation for Standardisation
ISO
<standard, body> (ISO) A voluntary, nontreaty organisation
founded in 1946, responsible for creating international
{standards} in many areas, including computers and
communications. Its members are the national standards
organisations of 89 countries, including the {American
National Standards Institute}.
ISO produced the {OSI} seven layer model for network
architecture.
The term "ISO" is not actually an acronym for anything. It is
a pun on the Greek prefix "iso-", meaning "same". Some ISO
documents say ISO is not an acronym even though it is an
anagram of the initials of the organisation's name.
(http://iso.ch/).
(1999-06-22)