munchkin
/ˈmʌnt͡ʃkɪn/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.69 in modern English
19
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
1
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Alternative letter-case form of Munchkin (“domestic cat breed”).
noun
A player who mainly concentrates on increasing their character's power and capabilities.
noun
A pet name one used for someone considered adorable, such as a pet, child, or a romantic partner.
Informal
noun
A domestic cat breed with short legs.
Example Sentences
- "Picture this: your child begins his first day of group childcare, and he is suddenly surrounded by other munchkins his age […]"
- "It'll also have a keyboard configured for a munchkin (...)"
- "Doesn't anybody recognize humor anymore, or have our faces gone completely stiff from thinking about good vs. evil or character balance or munchkin-zapping?"
- "Munchkinism is similar to "Monty Haul" gaming; however it involves playing at incredible power levels purely for the sake of watching the terrain get blown away by player characters who are unstoppable. Munchkinism also involves "rules rape," wherein players milk every advantage out of the rules. Often a munchkin will carry a favorite character from game to game, usually with the maximum allowable ability scores, skill ratings, etc - and enough hardware/magic to destroy the planet four times over."
- "younger gamers of a power-oriented mindset .. an immature power-gamer who has +10 Swords of Slay Anything for wallpaper. It derives from those Oz denizines, Munchkins, to young gamers who often go in for hack'n'slash Monty Hauls, to anyone who seems more concerned with Winning (usually by killing anything that stands in his path) than with playing a game with other people."
- "You ARE a munchkin if .. you roll 4d6 and keep *all four*"
Etymology
Coined by American author L. Frank Baum in 1900 in his novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Perhaps reflective of German Mensch or munch + -kin. Compare Low German Menschken and Low German Minschken. Sense 5 (“donut hole”) is a genericization of the Dunkin' trademark "Munchkins".
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈmʌnt͡ʃkɪn/
- British English: /ˈmʌnʃkɪn/