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Pwn

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For other uses, see PWN.

Pwn is a slang term that implies domination and/or humiliation of a rival. It sprang from the similar term "owned" and is used primarily in the Internet gaming culture to taunt an opponent that has just been soundly defeated. Examples include "pwnage" or "you just got pwned". It can also be used, especially by non-gamers, in the context of getting "pwned" by The Man.

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.

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]

Etymology

The word "pwn" [2][3] may have arisen and spread as a typo (or fat-finger) of the word "own," arising from the proximity of the 'p' and 'o' keys on a standard English keyboard. Sometime in the 1980s, along with the advent of the hacker phenomenon, "pwned" became a synonym for "hacked" or "taken over by exploitation of a vulnerability." The word "pwn" remains in use as Internet social-culture slang meaning: to take unauthorized control of someone else or something belonging to someone else by exploiting a vulnerability.

Pronunciation

This article contains phonetic transcriptions in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA. For the distinction between [ ], / / and ⟨ ⟩, see IPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters.

Given the recent development of the word and its primary use in written form only, there is no single accepted pronunciation of pwn; as w does not typically represent vowels in English, 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 pone).

Other variations include:

  • [pu:n] - As in "harpoon"; W has this sound in cwm and crwth
  • [pəʔˈoʊn] - Puh-own
  • [piˈoʊn] - Pee-own
  • [pʌn] - Pun
  • [pwin] - Pween
  • [pɔːn] - Pawn
  • [paʊn] - To rhyme with gown
  • [pwəʔˈn̩] - Pwuh-nn
  • [pwoʊn] - Pwone
  • [pwɪn] - Pwin, rhyming with win
  • [pəwən] - Puh-wun
  • [piː dʌbəlju ɛn] - Pronouncing each letter separately

Some popular quotes involving "pwn" include:

References

  1. ^ "Lake Superior State University 2007 List of Banished Words". Lake Superior State University. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ About.com, pwn - own, accessed 1 January, 2006
  3. ^ Microsoft, Microsoft Security At Home: Child Safety, A parent's primer to computer slang, accessed 1 January, 2006
  4. ^ http://www.homestarrunner.com/tgs10.html

See also

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