NationStates Jolt Archive

Merriam-Webster's word of '07: 'w00t'

By STEPHANIE REITZ, Associated Press Writer1 hour, 59 minutes ago

Expect cheers among hardcore online game enthusiasts when they learn Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year. Or, more accurately, expect them to "w00t."

"W00t," a hybrid of letters and numbers used by gamers as an exclamation of happiness or triumph, topped all other terms in the Springfield-based dictionary publisher's online poll for the word that best sums up 2007.

Merriam-Webster's president, John Morse, said "w00t" was an ideal choice because it blends whimsy and new technology.

"It shows a really interesting thing that's going on in language. It's a term that's arrived only because we're now communicating electronically with each other," Morse said.

Gamers commonly substitute numbers and symbols for the letters they resemble, Morse says, creating what they call "l33t speak" — that's "leet" when spoken, short for "elite" to the rest of the world.

For technophobes, the word also is familiar from the 1990 movie "Pretty Woman," in which Julia Roberts startles her date's upper-crust friends with a hearty "Woot, woot, woot!" at a polo match.

Purists of "l33t speak" often substitute a "7" for the final "t," expressing a "w007" of victory — an "in your face" of sorts — when they defeat an online gaming opponent.

"W00t" was among 20 nominees in a list of the most-searched words in Merriam-Webster's online dictionary and most frequently submitted terms from users of its "open dictionary."

The choice did not make Allan Metcalf, executive secretary of the American Dialect Society, say "w00t."

"It's amusing, but it's limited to a small community and unlikely to spread and unlikely to last," said Metcalf, an English professor at MacMurray College in Jacksonville, Ill.

The 2006 pick, "truthiness," also has its roots in pop culture. It was popularized by Comedy Central satirical political commentator Stephen Colbert.

Some also-rans in the 2007 list: the use of "facebook" as a verb to signify using the Web site by that name; nuanced terms such as "quixotic," "hypocrite" and "conundrum"; and "blamestorm," a meeting in which mistakes are aired, fingers are pointed and much discomfort is had by all.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071211/ap_on_fe_st/word_of_the_year;_ylt=Av3mCjC_mbX3x2VKWt2oiQouQE4F

The computer geek in me is laughing my ass off at this, the English teacher in me is currently shuddering with revulsion at the thought that l33t is slowly taking over RL English.

What's your view of the word of the year?

:(
* cries into his pillow *

...noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo......

There went my postive outlook on humanity.

Humanity has just gone down the shitter.

"I cannot but conclude the bulk of your natives to be the most pernicious race of little odious vermin that nature ever suffered to crawl upon the surface of the earth."

W00t = Insta-phail

No comment.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071211/ap_on_fe_st/word_of_the_year;_ylt=Av3mCjC_mbX3x2VKWt2oiQouQE4F

The computer geek in me is laughing my ass off at this, the English teacher in me is currently shuddering with revulsion at the thought that l33t is slowly taking over RL English.

What's your view of the word of the year?

It's called evolution, my friend.

w00t!

1337 0wnz j00 n00bl3tz! ph43r t3h 1337ness of my sk1llz!

It's called evolution, my friend.
I know languages evolve, but it doesn't mean I have to LIKE the direction.

w00t!

1337 0wnz j00 n00bl3tz! ph43r t3h 1337ness of my sk1llz!
*Beats you about the head and shoulders with a dead cod for that* :D

Truthiness was a much better word.

*dies a little inside*

w007!

w00t!

woot!

Wewt!

w007!

w00t!

woot!

Wewt!

*beats with stick*

My inner geek is beating out my inner nerd on this one. I like "w00t." :)

*beats with stick*

*doesn't really give a w00t*

*doesn't really give a w00t*

*knocks unconscious*

How much w00t could a w00tchuck chuck if a w00tchuck could chuck w00t?

How much w00t could a w00tchuck chuck if a w00tchuck could chuck w00t?

*beats with stick too*

*beats with stick too*

stfu n00b.

I liked blamestorm

I think I will have a superhero by that name pop into my webcomic

411 `/0|_||2 8453 4|23 8310|\|6 70 |_|5!!!1!!11!!!1!!!!!

Ok, why the hell is everyone getting so mad! w00t is just the word of online gaming (I am a gamer myself), though I believe that if they were going to use an internet word, I would have suggested "1337" (leet) "Pwn" or "Headshot" (Boom Headshot if they were going for a phrase).

I'm not sure why everyone is getting so irritated that the Word of the Year is a very widely used word!

Woot (http://www.elfonlyinn.net/woot.html) <---

Humanity has just gone down the shitter.

Oh please! Language changes over time. It was becoming more standardized for a while since the 50's because of TV and radio, now it is going back to the way it used to be. L33t is just one more dialect.

For God's sake, the past tense of stop used to be stap. Generations of English speakers have been told not to split their infinitives even though we know that the rule only came about because one guy pulled it out of his ass.

A professor of mine from Germany told me an anecdote from his highschool days. He performed very well on his primary school tests and was picked to go to a rather prestigious "gymnasium (as german highschools were called then." His first day the teacher asked a question and picked my professor to provide the answer when he raised his hand. Once the answer was complete the teacher responded "very good, now can you say it in German."

You see, the professor having grown up in a rural German area spoke a dialect that had only recently been declared not to be "real" German. France had done the same, because if one started at Paris and walked to Berlin every single village would be able to converse freely with their neighbor, including the ones on either side of the German-French border. At no point would you be able to say "these people speak French, and those German." The same was true for English and Scotch-Gaelic for many years.

You speak a prestigious dialect of English. Truth be told, so do I. That doesn't mean that those who learn another dialect are in any way deficient. But they do unwisely render themselves less prestigious.

language evolution ftw!

stfu n00b.

*hands Wilgrove a fresh stick to beat Pirated with*

Excuse me, I mean *with which to beat Pirated*. ;)

Personally, I'm sick and tired of not understanding what all these techno-morons have been yammering on about. If this "leet" stuff of theirs is going to be the new blather, then I look forward to them not being able to understand me for a change, as I keep on with my slightly more standard English. Turnabout is fair play.

*hands Wilgrove a fresh stick to beat Pirated with*

Excuse me, I mean *with which to beat Pirated*. ;)

Personally, I'm sick and tired of not understanding what all these techno-morons have been yammering on about. If this "leet" stuff of theirs is going to be the new blather, then I look forward to them not being able to understand me for a change, as I keep on with my slightly more standard English. Turnabout is fair play.

If I can understand both, does that make me bilingual?

Or does it just mean that I have too much time on my hands? :D

Each half of me has a different opinon about this:

Half of me is laughing 'till milk comes out my nose. And celebrating, because I can give my English teacher all sorts of shit about this now. :D

The other half is moaning and smacking its head on the wall, weeping for the end of civilization is nigh. :(

And the last half is busy fighting the Secret Society of Ninja-Zombie-Gnomes, and wondering what the hell my other two halves are doing.
:sniper:+:confused:= This Half.

If I can understand both, does that make me bilingual?

Or does it just mean that I have too much time on my hands? :D

It means you spend too much time communicating with other people, which path leads to madness and high blood pressure. Remember, the more we converse, the more we realize how annoying the other person is. ;)

How much w00t could a w00tchuck chuck if a w00tchuck could chuck w00t?

3. Nuff said.

Try this one:

How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could use powertools?

Dunno 'bout you guys, but I'd say that I was rooting for "Pwn." Mostly cause I say it alot. Thats the only leet word I ever actually use, but there's something about pwn that is fun to say. PWND!

"w00t," an expression of joy coined by online gamers, was crowned word of the year on Tuesday by the publisher of a leading US dictionary.
See
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/12/12/2117009.htm?section=justin

What can I say ... w00t! :p

w00t ja vu?

w00t ja vu?

I think deja w00t would work better. w00t sounds more similar to vu than it does to de. :p

I think deja w00t would work better. w00t sounds more similar to vu than it does to de. :p

Oh.. w00t now?!

I agree most heartily.

What is this "leet" you speak of? Or "l33t", or "1337", as some of you humans call it. And what is this "w00t"? Are you humans trying to invent a new language to avoid being understood by me, so you can defy me? FOOLS! I already know every language spoken on planet Houston, and I shall have no trouble learning this "l33t" language!

But nevertheless, I command you humans not to speak this "l33t" language any more, because it is such an abhorrent corruption of English, that both it and those who speak it nauseate me. Anybody caught speaking, writing, or typing in this "l33t" language shall be immediately shot with my eye lasers!

Also, no more "w00ting"!

Now KNEEL BEFORE ZOD!

Anyone else think 'W00t!' sounds like the sort of noise a howler monkey would utter?

does anything ever make the corporate media news before its OLD 'news'?

although certain aspects of this WERE news to me. but i chalk that up to having the excuse of being/getting, too old to keep up with everything or give a rat about doing so.

=^^=
.../\...

Usually when I start to feel like this something monumentally stupid happens, just to restore the status quo :p
Balance is restored, all is well.
:p

Silly Real Life. Woot is ooooooooold.

Meh it's just a word, and will probably be only used by oldie's in a few years, innit!

Hah! I knew that Scrabble word should have counted! :mad:

:p

w007!

w00t!

woot!

Wewt!

You forgot wo0t and w0ot.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071211/ap_on_fe_st/word_of_the_year;_ylt=Av3mCjC_mbX3x2VKWt2oiQouQE4F

The computer geek in me is laughing my ass off at this, the English teacher in me is currently shuddering with revulsion at the thought that l33t is slowly taking over RL English.

How does the English teacher in you feel about using the initials RL for real life? Your already corrupted by computer speak and you dont even realize it ;)

w007!!!!!

How does the English teacher in you feel about using the initials RL for real life? Your already corrupted by computer speak and you dont even realize it ;)

0H N0Z!!!!

Great more words to confuse the un-wireds.

Class over nationality? Wired over class!

What's your view of the word of the year?My view? The word of the year looks like "Klimakatastrophe" to me.

...noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo......

There went my postive outlook on humanity.

Humanity has just gone down the shitter.

Not everyone speaks English. In fact, most people don't have English as a first language, meaning that humanity is quite safe.

SLANG, n. The grunt of the human hog (_Pignoramus intolerabilis_)
with an audible memory. The speech of one who utters with his tongue
what he thinks with his ear, and feels the pride of a creator in
accomplishing the feat of a parrot. A means (under Providence) of
setting up as a wit without a capital of sense.

-Ambrose Bierce.

In light of this, I nominate the w00t function (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:More_Best_of_BJAODN#From_W00t_paradox) as the mathematical concept of 2007.

odd...been using that since the early 80's....so its passe now is it?

hmmm I think I'm too old to really give a fuck. I'll still use it.