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geek

noun
/ɡiːk/

Etymology

Started as carnival slang, likely from the British dialectal term geck (“a fool, dupe, simpleton”) (1510s), apparently from Dutch gek or Low German geck, from an imitative verb found in North Sea Germanic and Scandinavian meaning "to croak, cackle," and also "to mock, cheat" (Dutch gekken, German gecken, Danish gække, Norwegian gakke, Swedish gäcka). The root still survives in the Dutch adjective noun gek (“crazy" or "crazy person”). Compare gink and also Old Norse gikkr (“a pert, rude person; jester; fool”).

  1. derived from gikkr — “a pert, rude person; jester; fool”
  2. derived from gäcka)
  3. derived from gakke
  4. derived from gække
  5. derived from gecken
  6. derived from gekken

Definitions

  1. A carnival performer specializing in bizarre and unappetizing behavior.

    • I once saw a geek bite the head off a live chicken.
    • You hand in your ticket / And you go watch the geek / Who immediately walks up to you / When he hears you speak / And says, “How does it feel to / be such a freak?”

  2. A person who is intensely interested in a particular field or hobby and often having…

    A person who is intensely interested in a particular field or hobby and often having limited or nonstandard social skills. Often used with an attributive noun.

    • I was a complete computer geek in high school, but I get out a lot more now.
    • Most famous actors are really theater geeks at heart.

  3. An expert in a technical field, particularly one having to do with computers.

    • My laptop’s locked up again. I need a geek.
    • I challenge these geeks to show a little spirit and produce an 81 tier bonfire by Friday night. It would also be nice to see a few kegs and some spirit around their awaited creation each night. Until then I rest my case.
    • i eschew the use of "foo" "bar" and other dill-beak geek dull unimaginative temporary filenames! i find it much better to use names like: ingracl-bbp.goo or dog or ignatz
  4. ›+ 7 more definitions

    1. The subculture of geeks

      The subculture of geeks; an esoteric subject of interest that is marginal to the social mainstream; the philosophy, events, and physical artifacts of geeks; geekness.

      • It is totally counter-intuitive. How do these ubernerds get the cute girls? Is it the ultimate triumph of the Bill Gates era, in which geek is the new cool?
      • "Basically," says [Harry J.] Knowles [founder, 'Ain't It Cool News' website], "it's my job to stay on top of the latest and coolest in geek that's out there, specifically as it relates to the world of film."

    2. An unfashionable or socially undesirable person.

      • Why do you hang around with them? They’re just geeks.
      • But you can't be any geek off the street, gotta be handy with the steel, if you know what I mean, earn your keep.
      • Yeah, well, listen. You ought to ditch the two geeks you're in the car with now and get in with us. But that's all right, we'll worry about that later.

    3. To perform bizarre and unpleasant feats as part of a carnival.

      • Geeking, unsurprisingly, was among the first carnival acts to be outlawed as the 20th century unfurled.

    4. To enthusiastically engage in geek-like or nerdy interests.

      • It was our first time at a Star Trek convention and we had an amazing time wandering around and geeking.

    5. To be nervous or hyperactive due to using crack cocaine.

      • I ain't nothin' but a clucker, your typical glass dick suckin' basehead, geekin' motherfucker
      • They know I geek a lot / They don't know I keep a Glock
      • I'm tweakin', I'm geekin', I'm tweakin', I'm geekin'

    6. A look.

      • Have a geek at this.
      • Then he says let′s have a geek at some of the elephant pictures instead.

    7. To look

      To look; to peep; to stare about intently.

      • This gayte bucca-davy, all'ys geekin' round arter a gook.
      • I will geek, I will geek I tell ee; while I have the spirit of a man in me I'll geek.

The neighborhood

Derived

alpha geek, avgeek, cybergeek, fake geek girl, geekazoid, geek chic, geek code, geekdar, geekdom, geekerati, geekery, geekette, geekfest, geekful, geekgasm, geekhead, geekhood, geekish, geekism, geekless, geeklet, geeklike, geekling, geekly, geekness, geekosphere, geek-out, geek out, geekout, geeksome, geekspeak, geeksploitation, geeksta, geekster, geeksville, geektastic, geekwad, geekwear, geeky, gleek · +11 more

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for geek. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA