The slang term Pwn (see pronunciation note below), used primarily in the Internet gaming culture, means to soundly defeat an opponent. It is sometimes used for taunting of an in-game enemy and rubbing in victories. It can also be used, especially by non-gamers, in the context of getting "pwned" by The Man. Slang is the use of highly informal words and expressions that are not considered standard in the speakers dialect or language. ... Namcos Pac-Man was a hit, and became a cultural phenomenon. ... Culture (from the Latin cultura stemming from colere, meaning to cultivate), generally refers to patterns of human activity and the symbolic structures that give such activity significance. ... The Man is a moniker phrase used to describe higher authority. ...

In internet security jargon, to "pwn" means "to compromise" or "to control", specifically another computer (server or PC), web site, gateway device, or application; it is synonymous with one of the definitions of hacking. An outside party who has "owned" or "pwned" a system has obtained unauthorized administrative control of the system. In a security context, a Hacker refers to a type of computer hacker who is involved in computer security/insecurity, specializing in the discovery of exploits in systems (for exploitation or prevention), or in obtaining or preventing unauthorized access to systems through skills, tactics and detailed knowledge. ...

The term was one of 16 to appear on the 2006 "List of Words and Phrases Banished from the Queen's English for Misuse, Overuse and General Uselessness," released annually by Lake Superior State University.^[1] Lake Superior State University is a small public university in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan. ...

Etymology

While no single usage of the term can be definitively identified as the original source,^[2][3] it most likely arose and spread naturally from a misspelling of the word "own", arising from the proximity of the 'p' and 'o' keys on a standard English keyboard; however, it has been claimed by many gamers that the origin of the word comes from the PC game Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness, where a programming error results in the message "You have been pwned." When the player gets defeated by a CPU controlled opponent, the correct message should have been "You have been owned." The phrase has become an internet icon for online gamers across the globe.^{[citation needed]} The QWERTY keyboard layout used for Windows in the US QWERTY (pronounced ) is the most common modern-day keyboard layout on English-language computer and typewriter keyboards. ... Warcraft II: Tides of Darkness (usually simply Warcraft II or Warcraft 2; sometimes abbreviated to WCII, WC2 or War2) is a sequel to the popular real-time strategy game Warcraft, developed by Blizzard Entertainment and released in December of 1995. ...

To "own" another gamer is to be dominant over one's opponent. When boasting to the other player during the excitement of play, gamers would often mistakenly type p-w-n, rather than o-w-n. Eventually, the word began to convey a meaning both stronger and more specialized than that of "own," its pronunciation began to vary, and it was adopted into the "1337" ("leet") lexicon. This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Pronunciation

Given the recent development of the word, and its primary use in written form only, there is no single accepted pronunciation of pwn; as there are no vowels, arguments about the "correct" pronunciation occur with relative frequency. Pronunciation is usually determined by personal preference and context. The two most common pronunciations are [oʊn] ("own," in reference to the original misspelling) and [poʊn] (as in "corn pone"). Look up pronunciation in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Cornbread or Johnny cake is a generic name for any number of quick breads (a bread leavened chemically, rather than by yeast) containing cornmeal. ...

Other variations include:

• [pun] (as in "harpoon")
• [pəʔˈoʊn] ("puh-own")
• [piˈoʊn] ("pee-own")
• [pʌn] ("pun")
• [pwin] ("pween")
• [pɔːn] ("pawn")
• [paʊn] (to rhyme with gown)
• [pwəʔˈn̩] (pwuhn)

Quotations

Some popular quotes involving "pwn" include:

• The 2006 South Park episode, "Make Love, Not Warcraft," satirized the game "World of Warcraft." In the episode, the word is pronounced [poʊn] (pone), rhyming with "own."
  • "Looks like you're about to get pwned. Yeah!!!" - Eric Cartman (~20m 30s into episode)
  • "That was such über-pwnage" - Kyle Broflovski (soon after above)

• In "Teen Girl Squad" (see issue 10), "PØwned" appears on the screen and is pronounced by Strong Bad as "Puh-owned! Or however you say that!" Later the derivative "P4wned" appears and is pronounced "Puh-ahned," followed again by "or however you pronounce that."

• On a South Korean news channel an anchor said, “Youn Hong-Gyu PWNS” because a rival news anchor told him that it was a formal, professional way to say “good bye” in English.

• During the telecast of the 2006 World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions, Daniel Negreanu tells Mike Matusow that Mike Sexton "pwned" (pronounced [poʊn]) Matusow with an especially good play. The closed-captioning, however, misinterpreted Negreanu's remark as "boned."

• The internet TV show Pure Pwnage claims that the word is pronounced "own," as it was a spelling mistake in the first place.

• In the movie Employee of the Month, the character played by Dane Cook uses "pwned" (pronounced "poned") during a competitive scene.

• In Comic 91 of web-comic xkcd in reference to a satirical text-based version of Counter-Strike: "You have been pwned by a Grue." In another comic of this, the lead character says that when he is older, he will use out of date slang to see teenagers squirm. He then says "This song is so pwned".

• Filmmaker John Scott 3 used "Pwned" for the title of his short documentary exploring the effects of video games on the individual and society.

South Park is an American, Emmy Award-winning[1] animated television comedy series about four fourth-grade school boys who live in the small town of South Park, Colorado. ... Make Love, Not Warcraft is episode 1008 (#147) of Comedy Centrals animated series South Park and aired on October 4, 2006. ... World of Warcraft (commonly abbreviated as WoW) is a massive multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by Blizzard Entertainment and is the fourth game in the Warcraft series, excluding expansion packs and the cancelled Warcraft Adventures: Lord of the Clans. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Homestar Runner. ... Strong Bad is a primary character in the fictional world of Flash animation cartoon series Homestar Runner. ... The World Series of Poker Tournament of Champions is an invitational freeroll poker event. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Michael (Mike) The Mouth Matusow (born April 30, 1968 in Los Angeles, California) is an American professional poker player, residing in Henderson, Nevada. ... Mike Sexton (born September 22, 1947) is an American professional poker player and commentator. ... The Pure Pwnage Logo. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... Dane Jeffrey Cook (born March 18, 1972) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. ... xkcd is a webcomic created by Randall Munroe,[1] a former NASA roboticist. ... Counter-Strike (CS) is a popular team-based mod of Valves first-person shooter (FPS) Half-Life. ... Artists conception of a grue Zork universe Zork games Zork Anthology Zork trilogy Zork I   Zork II   Zork III Beyond Zork   Zork Zero Enchanter trilogy Enchanter   Sorcerer   Spellbreaker Other games Wishbringer   Return to Zork Zork: Nemesis   Zork Grand Inquisitor Zork: The Undiscovered Underground Topics in Zork Encyclopedia Frobozzica Characters...

References

1. ^ LA Times, Words they wish would go missing, accessed January 19, 2007
2. ^ About.com, pwn - own, accessed Jan 1, 2006
3. ^ Microsoft, Microsoft Security At Home: Child Safety, A parent’s primer to computer slang, accessed Jan 1, 2006

• ^{^} urban dictionary definition of PWN. urbandictionary.com. Retrieved on April 13, 2006.
• Pure Pwnage. Canadian comedy about computer gaming culture. Retrieved on January 4, 2006.

April 13 is the 103rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (104th in leap years). ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... January 4 is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

See also

• Internet slang
• Noob
• Owned
• Pure Pwnage
• Leet (1337)

This article discusses general features of Internet slang. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Owned (often typed in leet speak among gamers) is an internet slang word used commonly in gaming circles to acknowledge a form of superiority through the downfall of another entity, be it another gaming clan, or a single user. ... The Pure Pwnage Logo. ... This article does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

External links

• Urban Dictionary definition
• Pwned, webpage and blog of USC's class Pwned: Is everyone on campus a copyright criminal?, taught by Cory Doctorow
• [1], part 1, and [2], part 2, "Pwned," a documentary by filmmaker John Scott 3.