Geek

Pronunciation

• enPR: gÄ“k, IPA: /É¡iːk/
• Rhymes: -iːk

From the British dialectal term geck ("fool"), from Low German Geck, from Middle Low German; The root still survives in the Dutch gek ("crazy") and gekkie ("crazy person").

Full definition of geek

Noun

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 usually asocial. 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?
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 J. Knowles '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.

Derived terms

• geek chic
• geek code
• geekdom
• geekery
• geekly
• geek out
• geeky

Verb

1. (colloquial) To get high on cocaine.

Probably related to keek; compare German gucken ("look"), kieken ("look").

Noun

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.
2. Have a geek at this.

Synonyms

• (Australia, look) butcher’s, gander