leetspeak

[ leet-speek ]

nounDigital Technology.
  1. a coded spelling system and language used in very informal communications on the internet, featuring letters combined with numbers or special characters in place of letters that they may resemble, and including inventive misspellings, jargon, and slang.

  2. the spelling conventions and jargon of this system and language.

Origin of leetspeak

1
First recorded in 1980–85; leet (shortening and alteration of elite) + -speak
  • Also called leet, l33t, 1337 .

Words Nearby leetspeak

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British Dictionary definitions for leetspeak

leetspeak

/ (ˈliːtˌspiːk) /


noun
  1. a jargon used by some internet groups, in which standard English is translated into a mixture of letters, numerals, and symbols found on a computer keyboard: Also called: 1337

Origin of leetspeak

1
C20: from elite + -speak

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012