Coltan is the shortened name of the ore, columbo-tantalite, from which the tantalum to make capacitors is extracted.

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Ocky White derived its name from locals who shortened the name of founder Octavius White.

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French drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis SA on Friday shortened its name to Sanofi, the Associated Press reports.

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Later the company shortened its name to SAS Institute.

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IBM, by the way, was the official name shortened by International Business Machines, after being international stopped being a big deal and machines failed to cover software and services.

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Findings on the list revealed that for female CEOs, the use of a full name over a shortened one or a nickname is preferred for those looking to be treated professionally.

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Anxious relatives gathered outside the jail, known locally as the "Cereso", a shortened form of its full Spanish name - the Social Rehabilitation Centre for Adults.

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Phillips wrote under the pen name of Abigail Van Buren, shortened to "Dear Abby" in newspapers.

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By the time the noncompete expired in 1996, Harris and Slagter had a plan and a catchy name: Hand Technologies, since shortened to Handtech.com.

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