“OK.” “A.M. and P.M.” “ZIP code.” There are many acronyms and initialisms we see and use in everyday life but don’t necessarily know what the letters stand for.

That extends to brands and companies as well. If you live in the U.S., chances are you’ve visited or at least seen a CVS store countless times in your life. But like many people, you probably don’t know what those three letters mean or how the brand name came to be.

HuffPost went straight to the source for answers.

Like many large pharmacy chains and other players in the American healthcare system, CVS has faced its share of criticism, including complaints about understaffed pharmacies, long wait times and influence on prescription drug costs as a benefit manager.

And in 2022, the company agreed to pay roughly $5 billion to settle lawsuits alleging it contributed to the opioid epidemic by filling prescriptions without adequate oversight.

So perhaps it’s only natural people take some ... creative liberties with the brand name at times.

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