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Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

barnstar en · NOUN

Pronunciation

Etymology

From barn + star. In the wiki sense a reference to the communal practice of barnraising, introduced on the MeatballWiki in the early 2000s and adopted by Wikipedia in 2003.

Meanings

  1. A decorative painted object or image, often in the shape of a five-pointed star but occasionally in a circular wagon-wheel style, used to adorn a barn.
  2. A lucky charm resembling a star plate, similar to a horseshoe
  3. (taxonomic:Wikimedia jargon) An image posted on a wiki user's personal page by another user, as an informal award or form of recognition.
    • Other Wikipedia editors responded to Mr. [Richard] Knipel’s courageous act by awarding him several “Barnstars,” the site’s official tokens of appreciation. “You’ve got some guts man!” wrote a user who awarded him a Barnstar of Diligence. Mr. Knipel did not respond to a request for comment. 2025 October 17, Andy Newman, “Wikipedia Volunteers Avert Tragedy by Taking Down Gunman at Conference”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC:
    • There are many different Wikipedia barnstars that connote different things. 2008, Jonathan Zittrain, The Future of the Internet and How to Stop It, →ISBN, Notes: Chapter 6, page 290:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
barn-star alternative lexicographic
barn star alternative lexicographic
barnstars Number=Plur lexicographic

Translations (4)

es cobestrella (image posted on personal page) · cmn 星章 (image posted on personal page) · es cobestrella (A decorative painted object or image) · id BintangWiki (image posted on personal page)

wikipedia: MeatballWiki