wiki

noun

wi·​ki ˈwi-kē How to pronounce wiki (audio)
ˈwē-
: a website that allows visitors to make changes, contributions, or corrections

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Today, wikis are common stops on the information superhighway; however, they only date to 1995, after computer programmer Ward Cunningham introduced his software WikiWikiWeb to the world. The software, whose name is based on a Hawaiian term for "quick," allows website visitors to contribute content to its pages and comment on and make changes to information posted by others. A site using the software is referred to as a wiki.

Examples of wiki in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Entire blog posts, wiki entries, and presentations from OSM mappers exist to bridge the knowledge gap, explaining the purpose of OpenStreetMap data to Pokémon Go users and breaking down Pokémon Go game mechanics for frustrated OSM contributors. Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 6 May 2024 Fandom’s study was compiled via a survey of 5,000 entertainment and gaming fans globally, and combined with proprietary insights from Fandom’s first-party platform data of over 350 million monthly users, 45 million content pages across 250,000 wikis. Jennifer Maas, Variety, 20 May 2024 Contractor also believes the service is preferable to alternative company knowledge base tools, such as wikis or document shares. Barry Collins, Forbes, 13 Feb. 2024 Sega Retro Most of the changes on the Sega Retro wiki every day are tiny things, like single-line tweaks to game details or image swaps. Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 5 July 2023 See all Example Sentences for wiki 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wiki.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

WikiWikiWeb, a website with such programming introduced in 1995

First Known Use

1995, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of wiki was in 1995

Podcast

Dictionary Entries Near wiki

Cite this Entry

“Wiki.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wiki. Accessed 4 Oct. 2024.

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