WW
Wiktionary is a collaborative, multilingual, web-based project operated by the Wikimedia Foundation to produce open-content dictionaries documenting words, phrases, and other lexical items across all languages.[1] Launched on December 12, 2002, with the English edition as its inaugural version following a proposal inspired by Wikipedia co-founder Larry Sanger, Wiktionary functions as a wiki where volunteers contribute and edit entries encompassing definitions, etymologies, pronunciations, grammatical information, translations, proverbs, and usage examples.[2][1] The project has grown to include over 170 active language editions, with the English Wiktionary alone surpassing one million entries by 2020, emphasizing comprehensive coverage including neologisms, archaic terms, and contributions aiding language preservation efforts.[3][4] Its crowdsourced model enables broad accessibility and frequent updates but has drawn scrutiny for variable reliability, as entries often lack mandatory external sourcing, leading to initiatives for improved verification and quality control.[5][6]Historical and military
Wars and conflicts
The abbreviation "WW" is most commonly used in historical contexts to refer to "World War," denoting large-scale international conflicts involving the principal global powers. Conventionally, this applies to two such wars in the 20th century: World War I (1914–1918) and World War II (1939–1945), which together reshaped geopolitics, economies, and societies through unprecedented mobilization and destruction.[7] World War I commenced on July 28, 1914, following Austria-Hungary's declaration of war on Serbia after the June 28 assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by Gavrilo Princip, escalating alliances into a broader conflict between the Central Powers (primarily Germany, Austria-Hungary, and the Ottoman Empire) and the Allied Powers (including Russia, France, the United Kingdom, and later the United States in 1917).[8] The war featured trench warfare on the Western Front, naval blockades, and innovations like chemical weapons and tanks, culminating in the Armistice of November 11, 1918. Total casualties surpassed 37 million, encompassing military personnel and civilians, with U.S. forces alone suffering 53,402 battle deaths and 63,114 other service-related deaths despite late entry.[7] World War II began on September 1, 1939, with Nazi Germany's invasion of Poland, prompting declarations of war by France and the United Kingdom; it pitted the Axis powers (Germany, Italy, and Japan) against the Allies (including the Soviet Union after June 1941, the United States after December 1941, and the United Kingdom).[9] The conflict spanned multiple theaters, incorporating Blitzkrieg tactics, aerial bombings, the Holocaust (systematically murdering six million Jews and millions of others), and atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945, ending with Japan's formal surrender on September 2, 1945. It remains the deadliest war in history, with military battle deaths estimated at nearly 15 million and civilian fatalities exceeding 38 million, for a total of 70–85 million deaths worldwide.[10][9] U.S. involvement saw 16,112,566 personnel mobilized and 405,399 total deaths.[11] No subsequent conflicts have been universally designated as a third "world war," though the term has been invoked rhetorically for events like the Cold War proxy struggles.People
Real individuals
- William Wordsworth (1770–1850), English Romantic poet who co-authored Lyrical Ballads with Samuel Taylor Coleridge in 1798, marking a key shift toward common language and nature themes in poetry.[12]
- Thomas Woodrow Wilson (1856–1924), 28th President of the United States serving from March 4, 1913, to March 4, 1921, who led the country through World War I and advocated for the League of Nations.[13][14]
- Walt Whitman (1819–1892), American poet, essayist, and journalist born on May 31, 1819, in West Hills, New York, best known for his 1855 collection Leaves of Grass, which celebrated democracy and the individual.[15]
- William Wymark Jacobs (1863–1943), English author and humorist born on September 8, 1863, in London, renowned for his 1902 horror short story "The Monkey's Paw."[16]
- Wilhelm Wundt (1832–1920), German physiologist and psychologist who established the first experimental psychology laboratory at the University of Leipzig in 1879, earning recognition as a founder of modern psychology.[17]