wiki

[ wik-ee ]

noun

, plural wik·is.

1. (sometimes initial capital letter) a website that allows users to add, delete, or revise content by using a web browser: Students who contribute to the class review wiki may earn extra credit points on their exams.

   The wiki has character descriptions and image galleries for every game in the franchise.

   Students who contribute to the class review wiki may earn extra credit points on their exams.

   Research and development team members should all have permission to edit the design wikis for all current projects.

2. Also called wik·i en·gine,. the software used to create a wiki.

adjective

1. of, relating to, or being a wiki:

   wiki servers.

wiki

/ ˈwɪkɪ /

noun

1. 1. a web application that allows anyone visiting a website to edit content on it
   2. ( as modifier )

      wiki technology

Word History and Origins

Origin of wiki¹

First recorded in 1990–95; shortening of WikiWikiWeb, a software program developed by Howard G. “Ward” Cunningham (born 1949), U.S. computer programmer; from Hawaiian wikiwiki “very quick,” emphatic reduplication of wiki “quick.” Cunningham coined the name WikiWikiWeb after recalling that a Honolulu International Airport counter employee advised him to take the Wiki Wiki Shuttle (a shuttle bus that runs between the terminals of the airport); his original idea was to make WikiWikiWeb's pages readily editable by its users and initially thought about calling his program QuickWeb but changed his mind and named it WikiWikiWeb

Word History and Origins

Origin of wiki¹

C20: from Hawaiian wiki-wiki quick, coined by Ward Cunningham (born 1949), US computer programmer who invented the concept

Example Sentences

That leaves this frenzied backstage glimpse not nearly as absorbing, as if everyone were a hypertext link to their future Wiki page instead of talented people in a tense moment, ready to gamble on something new.

From Los Angeles Times

The site’s current rule for sports notability reflects the change; instead of the old rule where an athlete was presumed eligible for a Wiki article if they “competed” in the Games, the presumption now applies only if they “won a medal.”

From Slate

That’s hard to tell, partly because “wiki lawyers”—and there are several participating in the discussion—can probably argue the issue either way by grounding their stance in core Wikipedia concepts of neutrality and notability.

From Slate

That means the specific wiki text influences what information is spit out by Google search results and A.I.-generated descriptions.

From Slate

“No excuses, Nic! The fandom is waiting for us to update the wiki! I’m working on the summary of the new book and hope to get it up next week. How will people feel if character bios aren’t updated as well? That’s your job!”

From Literature