Word of the Day

Thursday, July 15, 1999

grok

\GRAWK\ , transitive verb slang;

To understand, especially in a profound and intimate way. Slang.

Read the full entry|See synonyms|Comment on today's word

Quotes:

If you want to grok the language, get your mitts on the new Random House Historical Dictionary of American Slang."

-- San Jose Mercury News, July 22, 1994

For those who don't quite grok the Web, it can be an intimidating challenge.

-- New York Times, June 1, 1997

Origin:

The slang word grok was coined by Robert A. Heinlein in the science fiction novel "Stranger in a Strange Land", where it is a Martian word meaning literally "to drink" and metaphorically "to be one with". It was adopted into the vocabulary of 1960's youth and hackish jargon, whence it has become a part of net culture.