Google definiton of geek as “an unfashionable or socially inept person” and Merriam-Webster identifies a geek as someone of “an intellectual bent who is disliked”.
From a geek’s perspective, being called a geek is a point of pride. A geek is an expert or enthusiast of a particular subject, such as computers, comic books, movies, literature, music, etymology, etc. They are someone who is passionate and generally know a great deal about the subject.
An alternative definition is of a carnival performer whose act bordered on the bizarre or grotesque. While some days can feel like we’re living in a circus, that’s not the most common interpretation of the word in the 21st Century. The word “geek” is from the Low German word “Geck” meaning “fool” which is likely why the word was tied to the carnival folk.
Sources: Google, Merriam-Webster.
