noun
1.
Slang. a silly, out-of-touch person who tends to look odd or behave ridiculously around others; a social misfit: If you make me wear that, I’ll look like a total dork! Synonyms: jerk, schmo; nerd, geek.
2.
Slang: Vulgar. penis.
Word story
The history of dork is a short one. It’s been around only since the 1950s or 60s, originally as a slang term for “penis.” Most likely dork was just an alternative form of dick, a word that started out as a nickname for Richard—a name meaning “fellow”—but which by the late 1800s, had taken on the additional meaning of “penis” (which is certainly part of a fellow) in British army slang.
By the late 60s, American college students had extended the meaning of dork to refer to a socially awkward person. While at first this sense of dork carried pejorative connotations, the term has since been “taken back” by the people it once so cruelly described, and now can even be given as a compliment. If a girl calls a guy “adorkable” (the combination of “dork” and “adorable”), she means to say he is cute in a socially awkward, yet endearing way.
Geeks and nerds, while still dorky, are generally considered more intelligent than dorks. Next time you call someone a dork think about its short history in the English language, and reflect upon what a word nerd you are.
The history of dork is a short one. It’s been around only since the 1950s or 60s, originally as a slang term for “penis.” Most likely dork was just an alternative form of dick, a word that started out as a nickname for Richard—a name meaning “fellow”—but which by the late 1800s, had taken on the additional meaning of “penis” (which is certainly part of a fellow) in British army slang.
By the late 60s, American college students had extended the meaning of dork to refer to a socially awkward person. While at first this sense of dork carried pejorative connotations, the term has since been “taken back” by the people it once so cruelly described, and now can even be given as a compliment. If a girl calls a guy “adorkable” (the combination of “dork” and “adorable”), she means to say he is cute in a socially awkward, yet endearing way.
Geeks and nerds, while still dorky, are generally considered more intelligent than dorks. Next time you call someone a dork think about its short history in the English language, and reflect upon what a word nerd you are.
Popular references
—King Dork: A coming-of-age novel by Frank Portman, first published in 2006.
—Son of Dork: A powerpop band from the UK.
—Dork Tower: An online comic by John Kovalic.
—King Dork: A coming-of-age novel by Frank Portman, first published in 2006.
—Son of Dork: A powerpop band from the UK.
—Dork Tower: An online comic by John Kovalic.
Related Quotations
“[O]ver there he wouldn’t be no fatboy or dork or kid no girl had ever loved; over there he’d be a hero, an avenger.“
—Juno Díaz, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (2007)
—Juno Díaz, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao (2007)
“[W]hile I’m definitely a dork, I’m not a nerd...I’m lucky that they’re popular enough that they don’t have to worry about…being seen with a dork like me.“
—Robin Friedman, The Girlfriend Project (2007)
—Robin Friedman, The Girlfriend Project (2007)
“The terror-image he had was of having to go naked into a communal shower and having the other draftees laugh at the size of his dork.“
—Desmond Stone, Alec Wilder in Spite of Himself (1996)
—Desmond Stone, Alec Wilder in Spite of Himself (1996)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source
|
Link To dork
00:10
Dork
is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
| an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle. |
Collins
World English Dictionary
dork (dɔːk) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —n | |
| 1. | a stupid or incompetent person |
| 2. | (US) a penis |
| [C20: of unknown origin] | |
| 'dorky | |
| —adj | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
dork
"stupid person," 1967, originally U.S. student slang, probably from earlier meaning "penis" (1964), itself probably an alteration of dick. Related: Dorky.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Cite This Source
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
Example sentences
We are dorks and dweebs.
Wear one and you'd look like a total dork.
Face it, it's not about age, it's about being a dork.
Besides, they make you look like a dork.
Nearby Words
Copyright © 2013 Dictionary.com, LLC. All rights reserved.
