Spawn

[stone space]

https://www.google.com/#q=define:spawn

Spawn

(I'll skip the non-human references)

as a verb:

2. derogatory
(of a person) produce (offspring).
"why had she married a man who could spawn a boy like that?"

as a noun:

2. the product or offspring of a person or place (used to express distaste or disgust).
"the spawn of chaos: demons and sorcerers"

[Shandris]

1. Also, a weird comic book character with a funky clown friend and a spare copy...

...of Starcraft included with the original game so that you and a friend could LAN it.

To be reborn in a specified place after death in an MMO.

I'm not sure these dictionaries are up to date!

[Binkie The Clown]

2. In video games:

Verb: The spontaneous appearance of a MOB (Mobile Object), either hostile (monster), neutral to friendly (NPC, or Non-Player Character), e.g. "Captain Tillin" in Everquest, or zombies and villagers in Minecraft, etc. ("The cyclops spawns in the mountains every 8 minutes."

Adj: To describe a place in the world where players or MOBs spawn. ("My spawn point is next to the wooden bridge.&quot

[Hoppy]

3. Is it ok to use the term in reference to George W. Bush or Cheney?

[REP]

4. Look who learned a new word today!

Here's another one for you: sprog.

[stone space]

5. I've heard of the word before, but rarely see it used to describe a child who narrowly escaped...

...death or serious injury, as I've seen it used by more than one DUer in more than one thread today.

[REP]

6. You need to get out more, I guess

[Igel]

7. Both can be jocular.

The post in the thread I think the OP's referring to was not jocular.

It was contemptuous.

It may be that the writer was unaware that 'spawn' for most English speakers is derogatory (as is sprog in most contexts), but the person continued to argue that his/her post was "indifferent" and not contemptuous.

[X_Digger]

8. So, another post by the OP taking a passive-agressive poke at another poster?

Figures. If he can't argue his point successfully in-thread, start a new thread with an out of context quote or phrase to vilify his interlocutor.

(if you search by threads started in GD by the OP, you'll see that 1/2 of them are the same thing.)

[REP]

9. I believe that was the point

And to start a thread over a word is a bit much.

Not everyone has such tender sensibilities about someone's offspring that they do not know, especially when the mother of said child doesn't even seem to care enough to hold on to said child once it's expressed a desire to go play in the water with the gorillas. I very much doubt the originator of this thread really gives as much of a crap about said child but this is a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate something or the other. But mostly it made me laugh, so something good came of it.

[Bluenorthwest]

10. This is Meta spoiled by passive aggression and a lack of a link.

This is a tiresome routine.

[ChisolmTrailDem]

11. Meta is prohibited by the SOP of this forum. nt