What is the meaning of "nerd"?

Question

Thank you!

Answer 1

here is the real real meaning of nerd...and the history :o)
Nerd, as a stereotypical or archetypal designation, refers to somebody who pursues academic and intellectual interests at the expense of social skills such as: interpersonal communication, fashion, and physical fitness. It is also the name of a candy made by Willy Wonka.

The term "nerd", meaning "square", goes back at least to 1951, when Newsweek reported the usage as relatively new in Detroit, Michigan. By the 1960s, it took on connotations of bookishness as well as social ineptitude. The word itself first appeared in Dr. Seuss's book If I Ran the Zoo, published in 1950, where it simply names one of Seuss's many comical imaginary animals. (The narrator Gerald McGrew claims that he would collect "a Nerkle, a Nerd, and a Seersucker too" for his imaginary zoo.[citation needed]) Another theory of the word's origin sees it as a variation on Mortimer Snerd, the name of Edgar Bergen's ventriloquist dummy. Yet another theory traces the term to Northern Electric Research and Development, suggesting images of employees wearing pocket protectors with the acronym N.E.R.D. printed on them. In the 1933 film, Dinner at Eight, Jean Harlow's character replies to her husband's suggestion that she might enjoy mingling with Washington "cabinet members' wives" by saying, "Nerds!... A lot of sour-faced frumps with last year's clothes on, pinning medals on Girl Scouts and pouring tea for the DARs..." [Spelling is from Turner DVD subtitles and not verified by the original script.] Finally, oral history at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute holds that the word was coined there, spelled as "knurd" ("drunk" spelled backwards), to describe those who studied rather than partied. (This usage predates a similar coinage of "knurd" by author Terry Pratchett.) The term itself was used heavily in the American 1974–1984 television comedy Happy Days which took place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the mid-1950s.

In the 1940s, the word "weakling" or "wimp" was used before the word "nerd" was used widely. Comic book ads for Charles Atlas weights and workout books were often accompanied by a short comic strip about a skinny 'weakling' and his girlfriend at the beach. In the strip, a muscular bully kicks sand on the weakling. His girlfriend leaves him for the bully. The weakling exercises (using Atlas's weights) until he has bigger muscles than the bully. He then defeats the bully in a fist fight. The girl leaves the bully, and joins the former weakling again as his girlfriend. This simple comic strip may have shaped nerd-versus-bully storylines thereafter. The nature of the strip tapped into men's fears, hormones, and competitive instincts over women

Answer 2

Nerds should change themselves--it is unnatural to accept social ineptitude. so, even if the Nerd makes a lot of money, he will be dissatisfied. A nerd has a cool person inside him crying to get out. His loneliness will eat away at him and turn him into a shell, if not a suicide.

Answer 3

Nerd: One who is a social outcast as they don't fit the general criteria for what is "cool" or "hip" or whatever the term is nowadays. Generally a nerd is book smart, but not mechanically minded, nor are they good at athletic endeavors. Generally nerds have a bad hair cut, a bad style of clothing, and have few friends, if any. Typically, nerds are the subject of ridicule amongs their peers, and are not adept at meeting members of the opposite sex for dating purposes.

Answer 4

A person with high intellect, but at the same time doesn't fit in the society of low intellectuals and that's why nerds are sometimes being bullied.

Answer 5

a nerd is someone proud to be a nerd and recognizes that they are a nerd.

Nerds usually are the smart kids in high school that everyone makes fun of, but then end up working for later on.

Geek refers to old carnival days of freaks and geeks, someone who is weird and odd.

and a dork is someone who never realizes they are a geek or a nerd and never amounts to anything of importance. a real insult.

Answer 6

Nerd=="Not Ever Really Developed"

i.e., an immature, not-very-hip person.

Answer 7

a Nerd would generally be someone who knows a lot about one or more subjects but has little of no social skills.

Answer 8

nerds are classified as doofy people and very intelligent people. don't feel offended. i graduated with my BA degree in office tech. i was a perfect a student. now my future is looking great. don't feel bad, just remember to do well in school and it will pay off in the future

Answer 9

a nerd is a demeaning name given to intellegent but socially inept individuals who prize gadgets/games/gizmos more than human interaction!

Answer 10

Usually under-sexed, intellectual, math and science types who wear pocket protectors and glasses. They invent things like the Internet and jet travel. They compete with and topple giant world wide corporations, but they still can't get a date.
Know the type?