geek en · NOUN · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- /ɡiːk/ (Australia, India, New-Zealand, Received-Pronunciation)
- /ɡik/ (Canada, General-American, Scotland)
- gēk
- audio AuE
- (US) audio
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”).
Meanings
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(dated) 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?”
1965, Bob Dylan, “Ballad of a Thin Man”, in Highway 61 Revisited:
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(colloquial) 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.
Most famous actors are really theater geeks at heart.
I was a complete computer geek in high school, but I get out a lot more now.
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(broadly, colloquial) An expert in a technical field, particularly one having to do with computers.
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
1983 February 16, dd, “Re: Temporary file names”, in net.misc (Usenet), retrieved 21 Sep 2016, message-ID <bnews.yale-com.883>: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.
1978 November 14, Jeff Boylan, “Excerpts”, in Bob Wasserman, editor, The Tech, volume 98, Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT, archived from the original on 10 Aug 2014, page 1:The community of radio amateurs—trespassing fiddlers on the cutting edge of technological possibilities—prefigured the geek community that was to inhabit Silicon Valley 50 years later.
2012, Fiorenza Belussi, Udo Hermann Staber, Managing Networks of Creativity, page 92:My laptop’s locked up again. I need a geek.
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(colloquial, uncountable) 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?
2005, Sean Dooley, The Big Twitch, Sydney: Allen and Unwin, page 265:"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."
2007, Kelly Boler, inmag.com:
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(colloquial) An unfashionable or socially undesirable person.
Why do you hang around with them? They’re just geeks.
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.
1993, Richard Linklater, Dazed and Confused (motion picture), spoken by Wooderson (Matthew McConaughey):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.
1988, Young Guns (film)
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| geeks | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
geekful · geek code · avgeek · geeklike · gleek · fake geek girl · geekwear · geekdar · geekless · geekster · geekness · geekling · geekhead · ubergeek · techno geek · geek out · geekdom · geeksome · geeky · geeklet · geekfest · geekazoid · geekhood · geekly · geekette · geek-out · alpha geek · geekism · geeksploitation · speed geeking · geekwad · geeksville · geeksta · nongeek · geek chic · pencil geek · technogeek · geekosphere · geekspeak · geektastic · roadgeek · geekish · geekgasm · geekery · cybergeek · supergeek · geekerati · neek · geekout
Synonyms
nerd · ramp · punk · freak · pile of shit · scullion · rinky-dink · no-mark · pig dog · asswipe · truant · cipher · pelf · lidderon · gooey · freak · hoon · nonce · nought · unworthy · nonce · twerp · underperson · absolute zero · dirtbag · bugger · fritlag · tech guru · ne'er-do-well · assbucket · buff · wankstain · good-for-nothing · roly-poly · fuckbucket · puny · good-for-naught · freak · shicer · slubberdegullion · loser · toerag · shitheap · nonentity · nowmun · blatherskite · waste of space · badling · louse · waste of space · otaku · loser · pissant · dandiprat · quat · doink · sparrow-fart · maggot · drop kick · carrion · losel · zero · crumb · cockstain · douchebag · propeller head · dork · anorak · nobody · no-good · fellow · geek · hacker · custron · streak of piss
Translations (79)
ko 오타쿠 (expert in a technical field, particularly to do with computers) · he חְנוּן (unfashionable or socially undesirable person) · el σπασίκλας (unfashionable or socially undesirable person) · nv naaltsoos náyiijáhí (expert in a technical field, particularly to do with computers) · ja オタク (expert in a technical field, particularly to do with computers) · fa گیک (expert in a technical field, particularly to do with computers) · ar غِيك (expert in a technical field, particularly to do with computers) · fi friikkiys (subculture) · de Geek (expert in a technical field, particularly to do with computers) · it hacker (expert in a technical field, particularly to do with computers) · fr geek (expert in a technical field, particularly to do with computers) · et friik (expert in a technical field, particularly to do with computers) · pt geek (expert in a technical field, particularly to do with computers) · fi friikki (expert in a technical field, particularly to do with computers) · fi friikki (person intensely interested in a particular field or hobby) · sh geek (person intensely interested in a particular field or hobby) · ja マニア (person intensely interested in a particular field or hobby) · cmn 宅男 (expert in a technical field, particularly to do with computers) · ru чуда́к (person intensely interested in a particular field or hobby) · nl freak (person intensely interested in a particular field or hobby) · de Straßenkünstler (carnival performer) · it maniaco (person intensely interested in a particular field or hobby) · fa خوره (person intensely interested in a particular field or hobby) · fi friikki (unfashionable or socially undesirable person) · cmn 極客 /极客 (expert in a technical field, particularly to do with computers) · nl computerfreak (expert in a technical field, particularly to do with computers) · et giik (expert in a technical field, particularly to do with computers) · sv nörd (expert in a technical field, particularly to do with computers) · nl techneut (expert in a technical field, particularly to do with computers) · et friik (person intensely interested in a particular field or hobby) · ar مُهَوَّس (expert in a technical field, particularly to do with computers) · fi -hullu (person intensely interested in a particular field or hobby) · nv ntsékeesii (person intensely interested in a particular field or hobby) · ru чуда́к (unfashionable or socially undesirable person) · da nørd (unfashionable or socially undesirable person) · da geek (expert in a technical field, particularly to do with computers) · it geek (expert in a technical field, particularly to do with computers) · el κομπιουτεράς (expert in a technical field, particularly to do with computers) · hu stréber (person intensely interested in a particular field or hobby) · ru чу́дик (unfashionable or socially undesirable person) · da geek (person intensely interested in a particular field or hobby) · ru компью́терщица (expert in a technical field, particularly to do with computers) · cmn 宅女 (expert in a technical field, particularly to do with computers) · ru фана́тик (person intensely interested in a particular field or hobby) · de Freak (person intensely interested in a particular field or hobby) · hy գիք (expert in a technical field, particularly to do with computers) · ko 오타쿠 (person intensely interested in a particular field or hobby) · ja ギーク (expert in a technical field, particularly to do with computers) · fi ilveilijä (carnival performer) · sv nörd (person intensely interested in a particular field or hobby) · el μανιώδης (person intensely interested in a particular field or hobby) · de Spezialist (expert in a technical field, particularly to do with computers) · es flipado (person intensely interested in a particular field or hobby) · nv ntsékeesii (expert in a technical field, particularly to do with computers) · es chiflado (person intensely interested in a particular field or hobby) · nl straatartiest (carnival performer) · de Spezialist (person intensely interested in a particular field or hobby) · da nørd (person intensely interested in a particular field or hobby) · nl freak (expert in a technical field, particularly to do with computers) · fi nörtti (expert in a technical field, particularly to do with computers) · ru поме́шанный (person intensely interested in a particular field or hobby) · ja オタク (person intensely interested in a particular field or hobby) · it smanettone (expert in a technical field, particularly to do with computers) · pl geek (expert in a technical field, particularly to do with computers) · da geek (unfashionable or socially undesirable person) · hu kocka (person intensely interested in a particular field or hobby) · es friki (unfashionable or socially undesirable person) · ru чо́кнутый (person intensely interested in a particular field or hobby) · fr geek (person intensely interested in a particular field or hobby) · de Freak (expert in a technical field, particularly to do with computers) · ru компью́терщик (expert in a technical field, particularly to do with computers) · ko 마니아 (person intensely interested in a particular field or hobby) · es computín (expert in a technical field, particularly to do with computers) · nl seut (unfashionable or socially undesirable person) · fi -hulluus (subculture) · da nørd (expert in a technical field, particularly to do with computers) · es friki (person intensely interested in a particular field or hobby) · ru одержи́мый (person intensely interested in a particular field or hobby) · ru гик (expert in a technical field, particularly to do with computers)