WMA
Abbreviation with 2 meanings
| Stands for | Windows Media Audio |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 2 |
| Categories | Technology & Computing, Geography & Places |
WMA has two meanings. It stands for Windows Media Audio (file format) or Wildlife Management Area (geographic feature).
Meanings of WMA at a glance
| # | WMA stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Windows Media Audio | Technology & Computing › File Format |
| 2 | Wildlife Management Area | Geography & Places › Geographic Feature |
1. Windows Media Audio
Technology & Computing · File Format Abbreviations
Microsoft's audio compression format, introduced in 1999 as a competitor to MP3 and supported by Windows Media Player and many portable players of the 2000s. Variants include WMA Pro and WMA Lossless.
Example: My 2005 CD rips are all WMA files, so I'm converting them to FLAC.
WMA files often carried DRM in Microsoft's PlaysForSure program of the mid-2000s, and some purchased music became unplayable when license servers closed. Files usually sit inside Microsoft's ASF container. Apple devices never supported WMA natively, which limited its reach as the iPod and AAC came to dominate.
2. Wildlife Management Area
Geography & Places · Geographic Feature Abbreviations
State-managed land set aside for wildlife habitat, hunting and fishing, labeled WMA on maps and in hunting regulations.
Example: Duck season opens Saturday at the Grand Lake WMA.
Most WMAs are funded by hunting license fees and by federal excise taxes on firearms and ammunition under the Pittman-Robertson Act of 1937.
Related abbreviations
More file format abbreviations
- VVC – Versatile Video Coding
- WAV – Waveform Audio File Format
- WebM – WebM video format
- WebP – WebP image format
- WMV – Windows Media Video
- XLS – Microsoft Excel spreadsheet (legacy binary format)
- XLSM – Excel Macro-Enabled Workbook
- XLSX – Office Open XML spreadsheet
See all 125 file format abbreviations →