dork

From Wiktionary

English

Etymology

Uncertain. Hypotheses include:

• Origination as whalers' occupational slang for the penis of a whale (oosik), and by transfer became an anatomical insult.
• U.S. student slang as a bowdlerization of dick.

Pronunciation

• (US) IPA: /dɔːɹk/
• (UK) IPA: /dɔːk/
• Rhymes: -ɔː(r)k

Noun

dork (plural dorks)

1. (vulgar, slang) A penis.
2. (US, pejorative, slang) A quirky, silly and/or stupid, socially inept person, or one who is out of touch with contemporary trends. Often confused with nerd and geek, but does not imply the same intelligence level.
3. (US, slang, dated) A contraction for ‘door key’ child. The term for a boy or girl who is (or was) left alone for long periods, locking themselves inside with little to do, isolated, possibly poor, learning little, while a single parent (or both parents) work or are away. Origin: probably late 1930s or early 1940s US. Compare with the more neutral sounding term ‘latch-key children’ popular with media and professionals in the 1980s.

Translations

References

• "dork" in the Online Etymology Dictionary, Douglas Harper, 2001
• wordorigins.org