noun / verb
geek
GEEK/ɡiːk/
A person with an unusually intense intellectual or technical interest.
The robotics geek eagerly examines a walking robot among other specialized homemade mechanisms.
Etymology
Perhaps a variant of geck, “fool,” geek moved from a carnival-performer label to an insult for a weird or studious person, then softened into a name for a knowledgeable enthusiast.
In context
if you're a bit of a gem geek or just simply someone who is really interested in learning more about these gemstones
More examples
- As a grammar geek, she loves comparing sentence structures.
- The lab's science geeks spend lunch debating new discoveries.
- We geek out over the details of every spacecraft launch.
Forms
geek · geeks · geeked · geeking
geeky adjective — Showing intense enthusiasm for specialized subjects.
Similar words
- nerd
- Often suggests social awkwardness as well as intellectual enthusiasm.
- enthusiast
- Emphasizes strong interest without necessarily implying intellectual or technical focus.
- buff
- Usually describes someone knowledgeable about a particular hobby or subject.