Munchkin

Pronunciation

• RP enPR: mÅ­nshʹkÄ­n, IPA: /ˈmÊŒnʃkɪn/
• US IPA: /ˈmÊŒntʃkɪn/

Origin

Coined by L. Frank Baum in "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." Perhaps reflective of munch("=mensch?") + -kin.

Noun

1. (informal) A child.
• 2006, Michelle LaRowe, Nanny to the Rescue!: Straight Talk & Super Tips for Parenting in the Early Years, Thomas Nelson (2006), ISBN 9780849912320, page 124:Picture this: your child begins his first day of group childcare, and he is suddenly surrounded by other munchkins his age
2. (informal) A person of very short stature.
• 2009, August 25, Jonathan Salem Baskin, Will Nokia's Next Chapter Be Kitchen Blenders?, It'll also have a keyboard configured for a munchkin (...)
3. Alternative form of Munchkin (domestic cat breed)
4. (gaming) A player who mainly concentrates on increasing their character's power and capabilities.
• 1989, October 5, Hwang Tsong-Wen, , 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?
• 1993, February 22, Magnus, What is Munchkinism? What does the Wizard of Oz have to do with roleplaying games?, 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.
• 1995, June 14, Phil Masters, Elizabeth McCoy, What does the term 'munchkin' refer to?, 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.
• 1997, January 31, Bill Wilson via Wildwood, For those who are new... The Munchkin File!, You ARE a munchkin if .. you roll 4d6 and keep *all four*
• 2001, March 7, "Caldera OpenLinux User", Re: what's a munchkin ?, There are many different answers, but here's mine: A munchkin is someone who's chiefly concerned with "playing to win" - which might be quite appropriate in a game of checkers, but can be very annoying in a roleplaying game.

Synonyms

• (child) see also
• (small person) dwarf, lilliputian, pygmy, tiddler