geek

Meanings

Noun

• A carnival performer specializing in bizarre and unappetizing behavior.
• 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.
• An expert in a technical field, particularly one having to do with computers.
• 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.
• An unfashionable or socially undesirable person.
• A look.

Verb

• To behave geekishly or in a socially awkward manner, especially when under the influence of drugs or other psycho-active substances, and exhibiting such marked characteristics as hyperactivity, repetitiveness, talkativeness, nervousness, irritability, or paranoia.
• To enthusiastically engage in or discuss geek-like interests.
• To look; to peep; to stare about intently.

Related

Similar words

• freak
• freak, guru, hacker
• butcher’s, gander, dekko

Origin

• Started as carnival slang, likely from the British dialectal term geck (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. Compare gink and also Old Norse gikkr ("a pert, rude person; jester; fool").
• Probably related to keek. Compare German gucken ("look"), kieken and the dialectal corruption of Dutch keek (from kijk), kijken. Australian use from Cornish dialect.