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Browsing page 1 of new words for January 9, 2016

N

nerd

noun

  • unsociable, smart person

    Last edited on Dec 01 2005. Submitted by Sharon J. from Coeur d'Alene, ID, USA on Dec 01 2005.

  • a clever but socially awkward person
    Don't waste time with those guys - they're all nerds.

    Last edited on Feb 13 2006. Submitted by Robbie G. from Stroud, Hampshire, UK on Feb 13 2006.

origin

  • Regarding the "unsociable, smart person" definition:

    One folk etymology that was popular during the 1970s goes that "nerd" was originally spelled "knurd". "Knurd" was "drunk" (i.e. intoxicated by alcohol) spelled backwards. In other words: a person who was a "knurd" was the opposite of a "drunk".

    This and other proposed etymologies were collected and published in an article "Origins of the Word 'Nerd'" by John C. Dvorak, published in PC Magazine, Volume 6 Number 10.

    Last edited on Jan 09 2016. Submitted by Anonymous on Jan 09 2016.

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