different between nerd vs merd

English

Alternative forms

• knurd (folk etymology, very rare)
• nurd (very rare)

Etymology

Unknown. Attested since 1951 as US student slang.

• Perhaps an alteration of nerts (“nuts", "crazy”); see references below.
• The word, capitalized, appeared in 1950 in Dr. Seuss’s If I Ran the Zoo as the name of an imaginary animal:

  And then, just to show them, I’ll sail to Katroo / And bring back an It-Kutch, a Preep and a Proo, / A Nerkle, a Nerd and a Seersucker too!

• Various unlikely folk etymologies and less likely backronymic speculations also exist.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) enPR: nûd, IPA^(key): /n??d/
• (US) enPR: nûrd, IPA^(key): /n??d/
• Rhymes: -??(r)d

Noun

nerd (plural nerds)

1. (slang, sometimes derogatory) A person who is intellectual but generally introverted.
   • 1953 Advertisement for "Businessman's Lunch", a play by Micheal Quinn, in Patricia Brown, Gloria Mundi
2. (informal, sometimes derogatory) One who has an intense, obsessive interest in something.

   Synonyms: geek, otaku

3. (slang, always derogatory) An unattractive, socially awkward, annoying, undesirable, and/or boring, person; a dork.

   Synonyms: dag (Australian), doofus, dork, dweeb, geek, goober, loser, propeller head, twerp

4. A member of a subculture revolving around video games, fantasy and science fiction, comic books and assorted media. [from 1980s]

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:dork

Derived terms

Translations

References

• Douglas Harper (2001–2021) , “nerd”, in Online Etymology Dictionary

Further reading

• nerd on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• Nerds on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons

Anagrams

• dern, rend

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English nerd.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nø?rt/
• Hyphenation: nerd

Noun

nerd m (plural nerds, diminutive nerdje n)

1. nerd

Derived terms

• computernerd
• gamenerd
• internetnerd
• nerderig
• nerdo

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

Borrowed from English nerd.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /nærd/, /nø??/
• Rhymes: -ærd, -ø??

Noun

nerd m (definite singular nerden, indefinite plural nerder, definite plural nerdene)

1. a nerd

References

• “nerd” in The Bokmål Dictionary.

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

Borrowed from English nerd.

Noun

nerd m (definite singular nerden, indefinite plural nerdar, definite plural nerdane)

1. a nerd

References

• “nerd” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Polish

Etymology

From English nerd.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /n?rt/

Noun

nerd m pers

1. (derogatory) nerd (intellectual, skillful person, generally introverted)

Declension

Further reading

• nerd in Wielki s?ownik j?zyka polskiego, Instytut J?zyka Polskiego PAN
• nerd in Polish dictionaries at PWN

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from English nerd.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?n??d??/, /?n??.d??i/

Noun

nerd m, f (plural nerds)

1. nerd (intellectual, introverted and quirky person)

   Synonyms: CDF, totó

Adjective

nerd (invariable, comparable)

1. nerdy (who is a nerd)

Usage notes

Until recently, this word was somewhat pejorative. Nowadays it is used both negatively and positively.

Spanish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?ne?d/, [?ne?ð?]

Noun

nerd m or f (plural nerds)

1. nerd

English

Etymology

French merde, Latin merda. Doublet of mierda.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /m??(?)d/
• Rhymes: -??(?)d

Noun

merd

1. (obsolete) Ordure; dung.

Derived terms

• bemerd

Anagrams

• -derm, D-MER, Drem, E-DRM, EDMR, EMDR, derm, derm-

Estonian

Noun

merd

1. partitive singular of meri

Hungarian

Alternative forms

• merjed

Etymology

mer +? -d (personal suffix)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [?m?rd]
• Hyphenation: merd
• Rhymes: -?rd

Verb

merd

1. second-person singular subjunctive present definite of mer

Northern Kurdish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /m??d/

Adjective

merd

1. generous
2. Synonym: camêr
3. brave
4. Synonym: mêrxas
5. dependable, reliable

Derived terms

• merdayî

References

• Chyet, Michael L. (2003) , “merd”, in Kurdish–English Dictionary, with selected etymologies by Martin Schwartz, New Haven and London: Yale University Press