Definition

[Hollywood]

What exactly does "pwned" mean? I figure some of you noobs might have been "pwned" before, I probably have as well. I'd like to know what the origin and signficance of the spelling is all about.

[bird_dog0347]

As per http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pwned

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. The etymology of the term pwn is believed to be rooted in a typographical error arising from the proximity of the 'p' key to the 'o' key on a standard English keyboard.

Before the term's adoption into the 1337 lexicon, "pwn" was generally perceived as an honest error and pronounced "own." Eventually, as the word took on a life of its own and began to convey a meaning stronger and more specialized than that of "own", its pronunciation began to vary as detailed below.

The term has become ubiquitous in Internet circles and is often used outside of gaming contexts. Its progressive form is "pwning." Its noun form is "pwnage," or "pwn4ge." Its most common use is with the past participle, "pwned" (sometimes spelled "pwnt", "pwnd", "p4wnt", or "pwn3d"). An example: "You just got pwned." Appending "zorz" creates a humorous variation of the word, e.g. pwnzorz.


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]
Contents
[hide]

* 1 Pronunciation
* 2 Quotations
* 3 Etymology
* 4 See also
* 5 References

[edit] Pronunciation

Note: This page or section contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. See IPA chart for English for a pronunciation key.

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, this often leads to arguments about the "correct" pronunciation. Pronunciation is usually determined by personal preference and the context of the game being played. Common variations include the following: [oʊn] ("own", in reference to the original misspelling — a common pronunciation), [poʊn] (as in "corn pone" — also a common pronunciation), [pun] (as in "harpoon"), [pəʔˈoʊn] ("puh-own"), [piˈoʊn], [pən], [pwin], or [pɔːn] as in "pawn". It can also be pronounced phonetically, as [pwəʔˈn̩] (pwən).

[edit] Quotations

Some popular quotes about "pwn" include:

"Looks like you're about to get pwned. Yeah!" - Eric Cartman, South Park -- (~20m 30s into episode "Make Love, Not Warcraft")

"That was such Uber-Pwnage" - Stan Marsh, South Park -- (soon after above, in episode "Make Love, Not Warcraft")

In the 2006 South Park episode, "Make Love, Not Warcraft," which satirized the game "World of Warcraft," the word is pronounced [poʊn] (pone), rhyming with "own". This term is also put into play during this episode as Stan Marsh, one of the main characters states,"That was über pwnage.", pronounced ("pohnage", rhyming with ownage)

In "Teen Girl Squad", by Strong Bad, in issue 10 as "PØwned" appears on the screen it is pronounced as, "Puh-owned! Or however you say that!" Later a derivative of "pwn", "P4wned", appears, and it is pronounced as "Puh-ahned."

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 really pronounced as "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 Pwn'ed (Pronounced PONED) during a competitive scene.

[edit] Etymology

The specific term "pwn" is derived from a common typographical error of the word "own," with no significant event proliferating its use [1][2]. It is assumed that it simply began to spread as a result of fast typing, due to the proximity of the P and O keys on QWERTY & AZERTY keyboard layouts, and the tendency of gamers and internet users to create and expand internet memes.

[edit] See also

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

[Hollywood]

Wow thanks, I didn't even think to look it up. Darin moment.

[Blake]

Hollywood, you just got pwned by a noob... 1337!

[HHI Dave]

[LakeIolaLuke]

Hollywood, at least you brought it the right forum.

[nickl011]

Hollywood, I saw that on an episode of South Park, the world of warcraft one, ask any computer nerd, they'll know

[holdsworth]

[holdsworth]

(double post)