▁a ▁source ▁of ▁pride , ▁often ▁referring ▁simply ▁to ▁" some one ▁who ▁is ▁interested ▁in ▁a ▁subject ▁( us ually ▁intellectual ▁or ▁complex ) ▁for ▁its ▁own ▁sake ". ▁Non eth eless , ▁it ▁remains ▁a ▁pe jor ative , ▁widely ▁used ▁in ▁an ▁ab us ive ▁manner ▁especially ▁against ▁children ▁and ▁te ens ▁who ▁may ▁be ▁more ▁focused ▁on ▁studies , ▁while ▁less ▁popular , ▁fashion able , ▁or ▁soci ally ▁incl ined . ▁ ▁The ▁term ▁ge ek ▁is ▁often ▁used ▁inter change ably ▁with ▁the ▁term ▁n erd , ▁but ▁ge ek ▁has ▁always ▁had ▁more ▁negative ▁con not ations , ▁perhaps ▁due ▁to ▁its ▁earlier ▁association ▁with ▁car n ival ▁perform ers . ▁ ▁Et ym ology ▁The ▁word ▁comes ▁from ▁English ▁dialect ▁ge ek ▁or ▁ge ck ▁( mean ing ▁a ▁" fo ol " ▁or ▁" fre ak "; ▁from ▁Middle ▁Low ▁German ▁Ge ck ). ▁" Ge ck " ▁is ▁a ▁standard ▁term ▁in ▁modern ▁German ▁and ▁means ▁" fo ol " ▁or ▁" f op ". ▁The ▁root ▁also ▁surv ives ▁in ▁the ▁Dutch ▁and ▁A frika ans ▁ad jective ▁gek ▁(" cra zy "), ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁some ▁German ▁dialect s , ▁and ▁in ▁the ▁Als at ian ▁word ▁G ick eles h ut ▁(" j ester ' s ▁hat "; ▁used ▁during ▁car n ival ). ▁In ▁ 1 8 th ▁century ▁Austria , ▁Ge cken ▁were ▁fre aks ▁on ▁display ▁in ▁some ▁circ uses . ▁In ▁ 1 9 th ▁century