Wikipedia (/ˌwɪkɪˈpi diə/ (About this soundlisten), /ˌwɪkiˈpi diə/ (About this soundlisten) WIK-ih-PEE-dee-ə) is a multilingual, web-based, free encyclopedia based on a model of openly editable and viewable content, a wiki. It is the largest and most popular general reference work on the World Wide Web,345 and is one of the most popular websites by Alexa rank.6 It is owned and supported by the Wikimedia Foundation, a non-profit organization that operates on money it receives from donors.789
Wikipedia was launched on January 15, 2001, by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger.10 Sanger coined its name,1112 as a portmanteau of wikinotes 3 and "encyclopedia". Initially an English-language encyclopedia, versions in other languages were quickly developed. With 5,767,640 articles,notes 4 the English Wikipedia is the largest of the more than 290 Wikipedia encyclopedias. Overall, Wikipedia comprises more than 40 million articles in 301 different languages14 and by February 2014 it had reached 18 billion page views and nearly 500 million unique visitors per month.15
In 2005, Nature published a peer review comparing 42 science articles from Encyclopædia Britannica and Wikipedia and found that Wikipedia's level of accuracy approached that of Britannica.16 Time magazine stated that the open-door policy of allowing anyone to edit had made Wikipedia the biggest and possibly the best encyclopedia in the world, and was a testament to the vision of Jimmy Wales.17
Wikipedia was launched on January 15, 2001, by Jimmy Wales and Larry Sanger.10 Sanger coined its name,1112 as a portmanteau of wikinotes 3 and "encyclopedia". Initially an English-language encyclopedia, versions in other languages were quickly developed. With 5,767,640 articles,notes 4 the English Wikipedia is the largest of the more than 290 Wikipedia encyclopedias. Overall, Wikipedia comprises more than 40 million articles in 301 different languages14 and by February 2014 it had reached 18 billion page views and nearly 500 million unique visitors per month.15
In 2005, Nature published a peer review comparing 42 science articles from Encyclopædia Britannica and Wikipedia and found that Wikipedia's level of accuracy approached that of Britannica.16 Time magazine stated that the open-door policy of allowing anyone to edit had made Wikipedia the biggest and possibly the best encyclopedia in the world, and was a testament to the vision of Jimmy Wales.17
Look it up on Wikipedia!
by Masterexolegy December 14, 2018
Get the Wikipedia mug.by Giddyup93 December 8, 2018
Get the Wikipedia mug.by Animador813 November 10, 2014
Get the Wikipedia mug.An online encyclopedia. This site is often not encouraged by schools due to the fact it can be edited by anyone with an account. Usually used when you have an argument about something with your friends and need to quickly get an answer to prove them all wrong.
Person 1: Albert Einstein was the president.
Person 2: No he wasn't!
Person 1: Yes he was!
Person2: Fine, I'll look it up on Wikipedia!
Person 2: No he wasn't!
Person 1: Yes he was!
Person2: Fine, I'll look it up on Wikipedia!
by SmartAssBitch-InAction April 20, 2016
Get the Wikipedia mug.A less entertaining and more detailed version of Urban Dictionary with more words, pictures, and links to random stuff
by Killer Kile August 1, 2017
Get the Wikipedia mug.A means of getting much needed information for most school-children, in order to put in as little effort required to complete a project due within several days.
This is a outcome caused by:
1. Lazyness.
or more often:
2. your own procrastination f*cked you over, and so your
doing it the very night before it is due.
This is a outcome caused by:
1. Lazyness.
or more often:
2. your own procrastination f*cked you over, and so your
doing it the very night before it is due.
1. "I don't wanna use a damn book, I want to go on
Wikipdia instead ma!"
2. "Holy shit, I need to get this crap done on Wikipedia
before tomorrow or Mr. PainInTheAss will chew me out!"
Wikipdia instead ma!"
2. "Holy shit, I need to get this crap done on Wikipedia
before tomorrow or Mr. PainInTheAss will chew me out!"
by Yellow Fish October 24, 2012
Get the Wikipedia mug.A website that uses a mind numbingly boring amount of words you don't understand to explain words you don't understand.
Wikipedia tends to be very sesquipedalian
by ZuLu October 21, 2013
Get the Wikipedia mug.