The Dutch origins of the word 'geek'

'Geek' is a word borrowed from Dutch 'gekk'. The word entered the English language some time around 1914.

geek [noun] [1914]

• a carnival performer often billed as a wild man whose act usually includes biting the head off a live chicken or snake
• a person often of an intellectual bent who is disliked
• an enthusiast or expert especially in a technological field or activity

See 'geek' on the Loan Words Map

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note: Likely comes from Germanic words like the Dutch gekk or Middle Low German geck both meaning fool.
Etymology: Probably from English dialect 'geek, geck' fool, from Low German 'geck' from Middle Low German

See more loan words from 1910s.