Re: CHAT geek (was: /nj/ vs. /J/ etc)

Ray Brown wrote:
> On Monday, August 16, 2004, at 09:06 , John Cowan wrote:
>
> > Benct Philip Jonsson scripsit:
> >
> >> What's the origin of _geek_, BTW?
> >
> > The AHD, http://www.bartleby.com/61/0/G0070000.html , guesses that it's
> > an arbitrary alteration of Platt _geck_, fool (presumably cognate
> > with Scots _gowk_ 'cuckoo, fool').  But nobody knows.  When first
> > recorded it meant 'circus freak'.
>
> Could it, in fact, have been a portmanteau word, i.e. /gEK/ geck + /frik/
> freak  --> /gik/ geek?
>
That seems quite likely IMO.  We should mention too, dat in de officieel
Conlang-taal, "gek" betekent ook 'madman, fool; crazy'

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