geek

• enPR: gēk, IPA^(key): /ɡiːk/
• Rhymes: -iːk

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• Audio (AU)

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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”).

geek (plural geeks)

1. (dated) A carnival performer specializing in bizarre and unappetizing behavior.

   I once saw a geek bite the head off a live chicken.

2. (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.

   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. (colloquial, by extension) An expert in a technical field, particularly one having to do with computers.

   My laptop’s locked up again. I need a geek.

   Do you need a hardware geek or a software geek?

   • 1978 November 14, Boylan, Jeff, “Excerpts”, in Bob Wasserman, editor, The Tech‎, volume 98, Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT, archived from the original on August 10, 2014, page 1:

     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.

   • 1983 February 16, dd, “Re: Temporary file names”, in net.misc, Usenet‎, retrieved 2016-09-21, message-ID <bnews.yale-com.883>:

     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. (colloquial) The subculture of geeks; an esoteric subject of interest that is marginal to the social mainstream; the philosophy, events, and physical artifacts of geeks.
   • 2007 Kelly Boler, inmag.com: "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."
5. (colloquial) An unfashionable or socially undesirable person.

   Why do you hang around with them? They’re just geeks.

• dork
• freak
• guru
• hacker
• loser
• nerd

geek (third-person singular simple present geeks, present participle geeking, simple past and past participle geeked)

1. (colloquial) 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.

   Hey, check out that guy...he's really geeking out pretty bad.

• Usually used in combination with out or up.

Probably related to keek. Compare German gucken (“look”), kieken (“look”) and the dialectal corruption of Dutch keek (“keek”) (from kijk (“look”)), kijken (“to look”).

geek (plural geeks)

1. (Australia, colloquial) A look.
   • 2005, Carmel Bird, The Essential Bird, unnumbered page,

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

   Have a geek at this.

• (Australia, look): butcher’s, gander

geek (third-person singular simple present geeks, present participle geeking, simple past and past participle geeked)

1. (Cornwall) To look; to peep; to stare about intently.
   • 1891, Pearce, Joseph Henry, Esther Pentreath:

     This gayte bucca-davy, all'ys geekin' round arter a gook.

   • 1895, Thomas, Joseph, Randigal Rhymes:

     I will geek, I will geek I tell ee; while I have the spirit of a man in me I'll geek.

• See Thesaurus:look

• Wright, Joseph (1900) The English Dialect Dictionary‎, volume 2, Oxford: Oxford University Press, page 592

From English geek. [1995]

• IPA^(key): /ɡiːk/, [ɡ̊iːɡ̊]

geek c (singular definite geeken, plural indefinite geeks)

1. geek (expert in a technical field, particularly to do with computers; person intensely interested in a particular field or hobby; unfashionable or socially undesirable person)

• nørd

geek m or f (plural geeks)

1. geek (all senses)

geek m

1. (Mooring) fool

geek m, f (plural geeks)

1. geek (expert in a technical field, particularly to do with computers)

geek m or f (plural geeks)

1. geek