In reaction to Neil’s in-class question of what the word “wiki” actually meant, I decided to do some sleuthing of my own. Turns out I didn’t have to go far, just to the Dictionary app. Apparently the word is of Hawaiian origin and means “quick”.

So if you ever wondered, here’s the answer:

wiki |ˈwikē|
noun
a Web site that allows collaborative editing of its content and structure by its users.

ORIGIN
coined by programmer Ward Cunningham (1949- ), from Hawaiian wiki-wiki ‘quick-quick.’