different between nerdism vs nerd

English

Etymology

nerd +? -ism

Noun

nerdism (countable and uncountable, plural nerdisms)

1. (informal) The practices or behaviours of nerds; nerdiness.
   • 2002, Lori Kendall, Hanging Out in the Virtual Pub (page 87)

     Nerdism in both men and women is held to decrease sexual attractiveness, but in men this is compensated by the relatively masculine values attached to intelligence and computer skills.

Anagrams

• Minders, minders, reminds

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