A slang term describing a computer boffin Unlike other slang terms such as Anorak, Geek, Techie and Trainspotter, the term Nerd has acquired mainly positive connotations in recent times, as in the 1996 TV series "Triumph of the Nerds: the Rise of Accidental Empires", which tells the history of the rise of the computer boffins such as Microsfot's Bill Gates and Apple's Steve Jobs, both of whom are described as Nerds: see http: //www pbs org/nerds
a technically bright but socially inept person The classic image of the nerd has been the thick-lensed glasses and plastic pocket protector But, as computers become common, our portrayal of the nerd has become more pleasant
A nerd is very similar to a geek, but with more RAM and a faster modem Nerds often find geeks dull because geeks don't spend enough time talking about computers
disapproval If you say that someone is a nerd, you mean that they are stupid or ridiculous, especially because they wear unfashionable clothes or show too much interest in computers or science. Mark claimed he was made to look a nerd. the notion that users of the Internet are all sad computer nerds
1 A creature in a Dr Seuss children's book, If I Ran the Zoo 2 A socially inept or unattractive person 3 A person who is more interested in pursuing intellectual interests than in keeping up with trends in fashion Since the Internet revolution, "nerd" has become a less pejorative term, and "computer nerd" is even used with admiration
A person who spends too much time at the computer A person, for example, who wanders away from dinner parties to check the computer to see whether any good electronic mail has arrived
Someone so unfortunate as to believe that all conversations might productively revolve around computing and IT issues Interestingly, only a nerd might know that the word derives from the 1950 Dr Seuss book 'If I Ran the Zoo' from which: "And then, just to show them, I'll sail to Ka-Troo - And Bring Back an It-Kutch, a Preep and a Proo - A Nerkle, a Nerd, and a Seersucker, too!" See Geek
The "n" word, this term is deragatory when used by outsiders, but acceptable when used to describe a fellow nerd While geeks must be born, nerds are made, the most famous case being Bill Gates
n A person that tends to be immersed in cerebral interests, often at the expense of social functionality These people can be recognized by their distinctive pit-stained polyester shirts and pocket-protectors (See also geek)
Something akin to the term 'Geek', the exact distinction has been lost (at least by me, and this is my list!) Ages and ages ago, a group of friends, some of Electrical Engineering majors and others Computer Science majors had decided that EEs were one, and CS were the other I don't recall which was which I have also seen it said a nerd is someone who is immersed in technology, a geek is a nerd that enjoys it Whatever -O- Open Archetecture: Something good, but rarely defined past that Our system is Open Archetecture, the competition's system is not Few people will argue with that definition I've seen almost every computer, including the IBM AS/400 at one time or another called "Open Archetecture" It is supposed to mean something about being able to put other manufacturers hardware and software on a system, but truely closed systems no longer exist, so now it is mostly a way of self-praise and competitor bashing