Other forms: power-ups
A power-up is an item that makes your character stronger for a while. Grab the power-up, a temporary power-up, the power-up wore off.
The temporariness is what makes it work as design, since a permanent one changes the game and a power-up only changes a moment. The word came from Japanese games and arrived with the arcade.
1nounpower-upAn item that makes your character stronger for a while.
“Grab the golden star, a power-up that makes you run faster for ten seconds.”
power-up is an item.
From Japanese use of the English words power up, arriving in English with arcade games.
Japanese
パワーアップ
English, today
power-up
Japanese パワーアップ, itself a power.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA
Practised in Games & Toys