Merriam-Webster Name w00t 2007 Word of the Year - English Teachers Weep

by Wade Larson on December 11, 2007 at 9:55 pm

“I’m so happy I couldn’t contain myself!”

Congratulations World of WarCraft addicts. Give yourselves a pat on the back, Halo’ers. You and all the other gamers and internet fans out there have collectively legitimized 1337 speak.

Massachusetts-based Merriam-Webster Inc. recently announced that their word of the year for 2007 is the internet slang expression of joy or excitement, w00t. On Webster’s website they announced the winner, along with a number of runner-up words.

The site defines w00t (yes, spelled with two zeros) as: expressing joy (it could be after a triumph, or for no reason at all); similar in use to the word “yay”

Ex: w00t! I won the contest!

W00t beat out 2nd place term and internet phenomenon “facebook” to take top honors, and joins Stephen Colbert’s word of last year – truthiness – among the great words of our generation. So stand tall, my fellows. We have reached the pinnacle of wordiness.

What does this mean for the average gamer? Well, if you haven’t noticed gaming is rapidly becoming more mainstream, and getting a traditionally gamer word inducted as the word of the year is another step in this direction.

While some gamers may lament n00bs stealing their word, it does mean that all things gaming are gaining greater acceptance. If we all pull together, maybe we can pwn the rest of the words next year and get pwn instated in the dictionary next year.

1337 speak FTW

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Tags: dictionary, Merriam-Webster, w00t

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chang
on December 12, 2007 2:06 am

This is absolutely retarded. As if these dirt bag 12 year old gamers weren’t shunned enough, now Webster has given everyone another reason to hate them. “Ye shall go to the bookstore, look up w00t, wipe your ass with your finger, smear doo-doo over the word, and replace” (cuss replaced to avoid moderation)
Tom
on December 12, 2007 2:09 am

We Own Other’s Territory
or
We Own Other Team
UncleFunk
on December 12, 2007 2:14 am

As a professional writer, this sickens me.

The OED ever adds this, I am throwing in the towel and giving up on the English language entirely.
Gramage
on December 12, 2007 2:37 am

Hey, language has gotta evolve some time. I for one am glad we aren’t still saying thee and thou and thine and hither and thither. In a couple hundered years w00t will sound ye olde fashion’d anyways.
Chris
on December 12, 2007 2:38 am

You are all over reacting! Professional writer UncleFunk? If you really were, you would realize that the language changes all the time. Look at how we speak now compared to when we spoke around the time of Shakespeare… and for that matter, why don’t you burn Shakespeare at the stake the same time you burn the MW dictionary, because he made up countless words that are still in use today. So please, do your research before you QQ, or just STFU… nub.
Jwoo
on December 12, 2007 2:38 am

I’m sure that this word just ruins you guys’ lives doesn’t it? It’s a real word used by real people. It isn’t any less legitimate than the word “legitimate.” How does panicking over the word w00t somehow give you more of a life than gamers? Sounds a lot MORE pathetic to me.
Cameron
on December 12, 2007 2:48 am

W00T!

Take that nublings.

ROFLCAKES!
Brian
on December 12, 2007 2:56 am

Am I the only one that noticed that the dude in that picture pissed his pants?
EmoDuck
on December 12, 2007 3:32 am

That’s it, I’m sticking to Oxford from now.
Henrywinklebeaner
on December 12, 2007 3:38 am

Haha — I noticed that too and scrolled real slow all the way through this thread hoping someone else had noticed. . . so thank you for also noticing. . . I guess.

w00tw00t!
Ryan
on December 12, 2007 4:14 am

Come on now, I’m a writer and I actually applaud their decision. Languages have to evolve, if they don’t they become dead (Latin Anyone?). Granted, w00t may seem to be pretty darn different then the average movement of language, but give someone a copy of The Canterbury Tales in the original middle-english, and most people might be able to make out a word here and there, but for the most part it will be gibberish. It’s just another direction for english to take, who knows where it will lead.
Carrie
on December 12, 2007 8:46 am

Actually, Latin also evolved. (French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, anyone?)
brau ha ha
on December 12, 2007 9:53 am

l33t is so yesterday
robotpunk
on December 12, 2007 9:57 am

ah hahaha.. Well that’s what happens when Americans write an English dictionary. For a dictionary of the real English language, use OED.
radicalx
on December 12, 2007 11:10 am

Jwoo: W00t is not yet a real word. It’s not even in the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, and they’re the ones who gave it this award.

I use w00t sometimes, but in general, I mock users of 1337. (and how is 7 a t, anyway? A stretch, at best! =P )
Luke_wj
on December 12, 2007 12:59 pm

I’ve never heard of this Merriam-Webster. Guessing it is the main dictionary in America? If it isn’t in the Oxford dictionary then i am not considering it a real word. After all, American English is a completely different language than ‘The Queens English’
Never Was An Angel
on December 12, 2007 1:38 pm

This made me feel torn… Half of me was ever so proud to be a gamer chick… and the other half… the grammar-nazi in me… wanted to cry.
For the Horde!!!
on December 13, 2007 12:13 pm

Yes he pissed himself thats the first thing I saw and after reading the caption it all makes sense. “I’m so happy I couldn’t contain myself!” Poor boy needs medication. I would hate to see what he does when he kills the L33t mobs in WoW.

As for w00t the military has said it for years. Ok I’m sure it wasn’t ment to have zero’s but hey gotta change stuff up or eventually it gets boring.

We must evolve!

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