Short answer: In Texas A&M’s original name, the “A” stood for Agricultural and the “M” stood for Mechanical (from the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas). Today, the letters symbolize the university’s heritage, not a current functional acronym, and the official name is Texas A&M University. Details and context

• Origin: Texas A&M began in 1876 as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas, reflecting a land‑grant mission focused on practical education in agriculture and mechanical arts. The two words corresponding to the initials were Agricultural and Mechanical, giving the acronym A&M [web results indicate sources describing the original meaning and history].

• Evolution of the name: The college later became a university, and in 1963 the official name changed to Texas A&M University, though the A&M initials remained as a link to the institution’s past and tradition. This retention is widely noted in official histories and university pages.

• Contemporary understanding: Modern explanations emphasize that A&M no longer denotes just two fields; it functions as a historic shorthand and a brand tied to the university’s legacy, leadership, and broader scope. Some campus materials explicitly state that the A&M letters are a symbolic link to history rather than a precise modern acronym.

If you’d like, I can pull up the exact wording from the university’s official pages or add a brief timeline image to illustrate the name changes over time.