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Etymologically, the terms are distinct: “geek” appeared in the 19th century, coming from “geck”, a word of German origin that means “silly”, while “nerd” appeared in the USA in the 1960s and may originate from the slang in English “nert”, which means “crazy”.
In English-language dictionaries, however, nerd and geek mean the same thing: shy, intelligent people who dabble in computers and research topics they enjoy.
Stereotypes aside, supporters of both titles differ on what defines each tribe. In 2013, software engineer Burr Settles studied 2.6 million tweets to see which words are most associated with the two terms (check the illustration above). The result: “nerd” is more related to studies, while “geek” appears more connected to pop culture. Although the survey does not serve to classify a nerd or a geek, it shows what the popular view of the two is in general.
READER QUESTION Gabriel Afonso Costacurta, Sao Miguel do Oeste, SC
SOURCES Merriam-Webster, Oxford Dictionaries and Cambridge Dictionaries, article On Geek Versus Nerdby Burr Settles
CONSULTANCY Deive Pazos, from the Jovem Nerd website, and Jurandir Filho, from the Cinema com Rapadura website