Geek definition

Geek





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4 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  geek \geek\ (g[=e]k), n.
     1. A performer in a carnival, often presented as a wild man,
        who performs grotesquely disgusting acts, such as biting
        the head off a live chicken or snake.
        [PJC]
  


     2. Hence: Any eccentric or strange person; an oddball; an
        eccentric. [WordNet sense 1]
        [PJC]
  
     3. Hence: A student who is socially inept and a misfit in his
        class, especially one who is an intellectual; a nerd; a
        dork. [Informal]
        [PJC]
  
     4. Hence: An intellectually inclined person, especially one
        who is interested in scientific or technical subjects; as,
        a group of geeks wearing pocket protectors; -- originally
        a deprecatory and contemptuous term, but in the 1990's,
        with the increase in popularity of computers and the
        frequency of accumulation of great wealth by computer
        entrepreneurs, it has come to be used with noticeable
        frequency by technically competent people to refer to
        themselves, ironically and sometimes proudly. [Informal]
        [PJC]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  geek
       n 1: a carnival performer who does disgusting acts
       2: a person with an unusual or odd personality [syn: {eccentric},
           {eccentric person}, {flake}, {oddball}]

From Jargon File (4.3.1, 29 Jun 2001) [jargon]:

  geek n. A person who has chosen concentration rather than conformity;
     one who pursues skill (especially technical skill) and imagination, not
     mainstream social acceptance. Geeks usually have a strong case of
     {neophilia}. Most geeks are adept with computers and treat {hacker} as a
     term of respect, but not all are hackers themselves - and some who _are_
     in fact hackers normally call themselves geeks anyway, because they
     (quite properly) regard `hacker' as a label that should be bestowed by
     others rather than self-assumed.
  
     One description (http://www.darkwater.com/omni/geek.html) accurately
     if a little breathlessly enumerates "gamers, ravers, science fiction
     fans, punks, perverts, programmers, nerds, subgenii, and trekkies. These
     are people who did not go to their high school proms, and many would be
     offended by the suggestion that they should have even wanted to."
  
     Originally, a `geek' was a carnival performer who bit the heads off
     chickens. Before about 1990 usage of this term was rather negative.
     Earlier versions of this lexicon defined a `computer geek' as one who
     eats (computer) bugs for a living - an asocial, malodorous, pasty-faced
     monomaniac with all the personality of a cheese grater. This is often
     still the way geeks are regarded by non-geeks, but as the mainstream
     culture becomes more dependent on technology and technical skill
     mainstream attitudes have tended to shift towards grudging respect.
     Correspondingly, there are now `geek pride' festivals (the implied
     reference to `gay pride' is not accidental).
  
     See also {propeller head}, {clustergeeking}, {geek out}, {wannabee},
     {terminal junkie}, {spod}, {weenie}, {geek code}.
  
  

From The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (27 SEP 03) [foldoc]:

  geek
       
          {computer geek}
       
       

















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