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]
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
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]
WordNet (r) 2.0
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.
Jargon File (4.3.1, 29 Jun 2001)
geek
computer geek
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (27 SEP 03)
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