The Interesting History of the Word "Geek"

[HopefulHeart]

After watching the 1940s movie Nightmare Alley, I was intrigued by the use of the word "geek" to describe a carnival sideshow performer. When I looked up the word in the dictionary, I found this old definition that describes the former delightful occupation of a typical geek:

"a carnival performer often billed as a wild man whose act usually includes biting the head off a live chicken or snake"

I thought it was quite amusing how much the meaning of the word has changed.

[Era Might]

I'm addicted to the online etymology dictionary:

 

geek (n.) 

"sideshow freak," 1916, U.S. carnival and circus slang, perhaps a variant of 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 gjække, Swedishgäcka). The modern form and the popular use with reference to circus sideshow "wild men" is from 1946, in William Lindsay Gresham's novel "Nightmare Alley" (made into a film in 1947 starring Tyrone Power).

"An ordinary geek doesn't actually eat snakes, just bites off chunks of 'em, chicken heads and rats." [Arthur H. Lewis, "Carnival," 1970]

By c.1983, used in teenager slang in reference to peers who lacked social graces but were obsessed with new technology and computers (such as the Anthony Michael Hall character in 1984's "Sixteen Candles").

geek out

 

vi.

 To temporarily enter techno-nerd mode while in a non-hackish context, for example at parties held near computer equipment. [Eric S. Raymond, "The New Hacker's Dictionary," 1996]

[Ice_nine]

lol that's what they called the zombies on The Walking Dead when it first began. Makes sense

[Not A Mallard]

Oh. So geeks are limited specifically to technology. I thought geeks and nerds were the same thing.