I am struggling with new usages of the word "geek" or "geek out". In social media outlets, it's no longer confined to computers or technology, but can be related to other subjects including athletics.
Even a quick trip to Urban Dictionary gives conflicting stories:
- The people you pick on in high school and wind up working for as an adult
- Not to be confused with Nerd. A geek does not have to be smart, a Geek is someone who is generaly not athletic, and enjoys Video Games; Comic Books; being on the internet, and etc.
and yet
The act of becoming emotionally and physically aroused by the sight or the thought of a technicality of a certain topic of major interest.
It resembles an "orgasm of the mind".
Geeking out is not a universal feeling. As a result, if one person in a group geeks out, everyone else is wondering in curiosity what is wrong with that person.
Can anyone explain what is going on here? We seem to have two points if view:
- the geek who has very specialized interests which we cannot relate to
- geeking out, when we have a specific interests and nobody can relate to us
Any other theories? Even geek has achieved positive status, beating out nerd according to New York Times data. Finally when did this stop being about computers?
Is there a word for a non-geek?
Which term correctly identifies those who enjoy programming/technology: "geek" or "nerd"?
English word for taking a derogatory term and owning it with pride
Best Answer
There were geeks before there were computers...music geeks (guilty!), science geeks, history geeks, theater geeks - basically anyone, usually very intelligent, with a more-than-casual knowledge of a very narrow topic of interest.
The 2nd definition of "geek" from MW-Online defines it well:
To "geek out", in my opinion, adds a bit of the first definition to the equation when the geek tunes out socially in a moment of one-ness with the object of their geeky interest: