pwn

See also: PWN

English

Etymology

From own, possibly born out of a typographical error (the adjacency of o and p on qwerty keyboards).

Pronunciation

Originally pronounced /əʊn/ (UK) / /oʊn/ (US), like own, and now often pronounced /pəʊn/ (UK) / /poʊn/ (US). Other pronunciations include:

• (UK) IPA^(key): /pɔːn/ or /piˈəʊn/ or /piˈɔːn/
• (US) IPA^(key): /pɔn/ or /piˈoʊn/ or /piˈɔn/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɔːn, -əʊn, -ɔn, -oʊn

Verb

pwn (third-person singular simple present pwns, present participle pwning, simple past and past participle pwned or pwnd or pwnt)

1. (Internet slang, online gaming, originally leet, transitive, intransitive) To own, to defeat or dominate (someone or something, especially a game or someone playing a game).

   Synonyms: own, pwnz0r

   • 1999 August 5, Quaestor, “Re: [SP] So..the first victim of the Evil/Hero System”, in rec.games.computer.ultima.online‎^[1] (Usenet), retrieved 2016-09-23, message-ID <[email protected]>:

     2nd guard: "Yeah, shiiit! I PWNED YO @zz!"

   • 2001, Edward Glamkowski, alt.games.diablo2‎^[2] (Usenet):

     Otherwise I use fury as my normal attack. Fury completely pwns!

   • 2003, James Grahame, alt.games.everquest‎^[3] (Usenet):

     When you get to the Temple of Marr, look very closely at the vases at zone-in and see if you can find the picture where Mith Marr "pwns" someone.

   • 2004, Bronney Hui, alt.comp.periphs.videocards.nvidia‎^[4] (Usenet):

     My Trident pwns the Cirrus Logics!

   • 2005, AlphaDream, Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time, Nintendo:

     NOOBZ STILL R NOT PWNED. CONTINUE PWNERSHIP UNTIL ALL NOOBZ R PWNED.

Derived terms

• pwnage
• pwnz0r

 

Noun

pwn (countable and uncountable, plural pwns)

1. (Internet slang, originally leetspeak) Triumph, victory. Often exclaimed after an opponent in a video game is defeated.
2. (Internet slang, computer security, originally leetspeak) An exploit in computer security, especially relating to machine code.

Anagrams

• PNW, wpn.

Welsh

Etymology

From Vulgar Latin *pundus, from Latin pondus (“weight”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pʊn/
• Rhymes: -ʊn

Noun

pwn m (plural pynnau)

1. load, burden

Derived terms

• pynfarch m (“packhorse”)

Mutation

Welsh mutation
radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
pwn	bwn	mhwn	phwn
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “pwn”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies