Pwn (below: Various pronunciations) is a leetspeak slang term derived from the verb "own",[1][2][3] as meaning to appropriate or to conquer to gain ownership. The term implies domination or humiliation of a rival,[4] used primarily in the Internet-based video game culture to taunt an opponent who has just been soundly defeated (e.g., "You just got pwned!").[5] It was popular among Counter-Strike gamers before spreading through the more general Internet world.[6] The past tense and past participle, pwned, may also be spelled: pwnd, pwn'd, pwn3d, pwnt, poned, pawned, or powned.[citation needed]
In hacker jargon, pwn means to compromise or control, specifically another computer (server or PC), web site, gateway device, or application. It is synonymous with one of the definitions of hacking or cracking. The Pwnie Awards are awarded by a group of security researchers.[4]
Popularity of the term among teenagers rose in the mid-2000s, with the spread from the Internet written form to use in spoken language.[7]
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The word pwn most likely came about as a common typo of the word "own" because the "p" and "o" keys are adjacent on a standard English keyboard.[7][8]
'Pwn' has no generally accepted pronunciation: renditions include /ˈoʊn/, /ˈpoʊn/, /pəʔˈoʊn/, /ˈpɔːn/, /piːˈoʊn/. This is because it is primarily used in written form, thus it has no single accepted pronunciation. Originally, 'pwn' and its variants were pronounced /ˈoʊn/) in the same way as the derived verb 'own'; the tail of the 'p' being "silent". A notable usage of this pronunciation can be seen in the Internet distributed series Pure Pwnage (pronounced "pure ownage",[9] /ˈpjʊər ˈoʊnɨdʒ/).
Where speakers vocalize the "p", pronunciations include "pwen", "pawn", "pun"[10] and "pwone".[11]
Pwn is a slang term, which came from the verb "own",[1][2]. It implies ownership, as in domination and humiliation of a rival. It is usually used only on the Internet. The past tense may also be spelled: pwnd, pwn'd pwn3d, pwnt or powned.
The word pwn may have begun as a typo of "own" because the p and o keys are close to each other on a standard English keyboard.
Pwn comes from the word pwned, that comes from the word owned and that comes from the word own.
   | Pure Pwnage - Pure Pwnage - 'taking n00bs to school since 2004' |
| | urban dictionary definition of PWN - Urban Dictionary: pwned |
| | Lake Superior State University 2007 List of Banished Words - Lake Superior State University :: Banished Words List :: Banished Words List |
| | Pwn - Pwn Definition from PC Magazine Encyclopedia |
| | A theory of etymology - Real Life Comics - The Online Comic ©1999-2008 Greg Dean |
| | Words they wish would go missing - Words they wish would go missing - Los Angeles Times |
| | Urban Dictionary definition - Urban Dictionary: pwn |
| | issue 10 - Tenth Issue-versary!! |
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