Wikipedia:Differences between ordinary English and Wikipedia editor jargon

In Wikipedia-land, words sometimes take on different meanings to what they most commonly mean in ordinary English - or at least, it may appear that way to the casual reader. Sometimes words take on a more specific, constrained meaning due to the specific constraints defined in Wikipedia policies and guidelines; sometimes, as in the case of "editor", the meaning is simply different to what the casual reader might expect.

It is important to note that these distinct meanings are only used - and should only be used - in communications between Wikipedia editors, such as policies, guidelines and essays in the Wikipedia: namespace on Wikipedia, in edit summaries on edits, and on Talk pages. These meanings should not be used in ordinary Wikipedia articles - with the sole exception being where those articles refer to Wikipedia. Even in the latter case, editors should bear in mind that non-editors are frequently unaware of these alternate meanings, so should be careful not to employ these alternate meanings without adequate explanation.