hacker

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See also: Hacker and hácker

English[edit]

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia
A illustration of a hacker.

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English hakker, hackere, hakkere, equivalent to hack +‎ -er.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • (UK) IPA(key): /hækə(ɹ)/
  • Audio (UK)(file)
  • Rhymes: -ækə(ɹ)

Noun[edit]

hacker (plural hackers)

  1. (telecommunications) A person who attempts to gain unauthorized access, esp. remotely, to a computer system or network (= computer hacker), or (in earliest use) a telephone network. Later also: a person who gains unauthorized access to another's telephone communications or data; = phone hacker.
    • 1963  with reference to students who hacked into and disrupted the telephone network at Massachusetts Institute of Technology: Tech (Massachusetts Inst. of Tech.) 1 Nov. 20   Many telephone services have been curtailed because of so-called hackers... The hackers have accomplished such things as tying up all the tie-lines between Harvard and MIT, or making long-distance calls... One method involved connecting the PDP-1 computer to the phone system to search the lines until a dial tone, indicating an outside line, was found. "hacker, n.". OED Online. March 2022. Oxford University Press.
  2. (computing) One who is expert at programming and solving problems with a computer.
    • 1968 September, Thompson, Rory Jack, “Acknowledgments”, in Howard, Louis N., editor, Instabilities of some time-dependent flows‎[1], Massachusetts: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, archived from the original on 2015-09-23, page 107:
      The Electrical Engineering Department, J. McKenzie in particular, for allowing me to use the PDP-1 computer to do the extensive computations, draw graphs, and even type this thesis. In this connection Charles Landau did some of the programming, Luella Thompson did most of the typing, and W. B. Ackermann helped when the machine would not cooperate. Many other computer hackers also willingly offered advice.
    • 1984, Venture, volume 6, part 1, page 142:
      A hacker starts with nothing but a dream and a floppy disk and presently finds himself in a business that's doubled and trebled. Three "diskzines" — magazines on floppy disks — started cheaply by entrepreneurs who placed ads in obscure computer journals […]
    • 1990s, Joe Chidley, Maclean's Magazine:
      Hackers are people who simply love playing with computers
  3. (computing) One who uses a computer to gain unauthorized access to data, or to carry out malicious attacks.
    Synonym: (outside US) cracker
    • 2007, Committee on Improving Cybersecurity Research in the United States, Toward a Safer and More Secure Cyberspace
      Typically, one hacker will annoy another; the offended party replies by launching a denial-of-service attack against the offender.
  4. (computing) A computer security professional.
  5. Something that hacks; a tool or device for hacking.
    • 1825?, "Hannah Limbrick, Executed for Murder", in The Newgate Calendar: comprising interesting memoirs of the most notorious characters, page 231:
      Thomas Limbrick, who was only nine years of age, said he lived with his mother when Deborah was beat: that his mother throwed her down all along with her hands; and then against a wall, and kicked her in the belly: that afterwards she picked her up, and beat her with the hacker on the side of the head; wiped the blood off with a dish-clout, and took her up to bed after she was dead.
    • July 1846, John Macleod, "The Tar and Turpentine Business of North Carolina", on page 15 of the Monthly Journal of Agriculture, volume II, number 1:
      When the dipping is thus over, the next work is to "chip" or scarify the tree immediately over the box [...]. This is done by an instrument usually called a "hacker," sometimes "shave." Its form is somewhat like a "round shave," narrowing at the cutting place to the diameter of an inch, with a shank, to be fixed securely into a strong, heavy handle of about two feet in length, while the faces of the trees are low, but the handle is made longer as years advance the faces higher.
    • 1877, Reports and Awards of the United States Centennial Commission (regarding the) International Exhibition, 1876 (Francis A. Walker, editor), Reports on Awards, Group XXI, page 13:
      23. George C. howard, Philadelphia, U.S.
      GRINDSTONE HACKER.
      Report.--Commended for the contrivance of an instrument, called a "hacker," that is used in trimming grindstones. This hacker turns with the stone, and is drawn across in a slide rest, and fulfills its important function satisfactorily.
  6. (UK, regional) A fork-shaped tool used to harvest root vegetables.
    • 1891, Thomas Hardy, Tess of the d’Urbervilles, Chapter 43,[2]
      The upper half of each turnip had been eaten off by the live-stock, and it was the business of the two women to grub up the lower or earthy half of the root with a hooked fork called a hacker, that it might be eaten also.
    • 1893, George Edward Dartnell and Edward Hungerford Goddard, A Glossary of Words Used in the County of Wiltshire, London: English Dialect Society, p. 72,[3]
      […] a ‘tater-hacker,’ an old three-grained garden-fork, which by bending down the tines or ‘grains’ at right angles to the handle has been converted into something resembling a rake, but used as a hoe.
  7. Someone who hacks.
    1. Particularly, one who cuts with rough or heavy blows.
      • 1902, Our Wonderful Progress, Trumbull White (editor), page 623–624:
        In January or February the "hacker," with his keen-bladed ax, begins the round which ends the season. [...] About a quart of sap is taken from each box by means of the trowel-shaped scoop used by the dipper, and then the hacker comes along and starts the flow afresh by wounding the tree again.
    2. Particularly, one who kicks wildly or roughly.
    3. Particularly, one who is consistent and focuses on accomplishing a task or several tasks.
  8. (US) One who is inexperienced or unskilled at a particular activity, especially a sport such as golf or tennis.
    a tennis hacker
    • 1969, Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse-Five, New York: Dial, 2005, Chapter 4, p. 108,[4]
      And then Billy was a middle-aged optometrist again, playing hacker’s golf this time—on a blazing summer Sunday morning.
  9. (US) One who operates a taxicab.
    • 1939, Raymond Chandler, Trouble is my business:
      Start runnin' for a streetcar and they open up with machine guns and bump two pedestrians, a hacker asleep in his cab, and an old scrubwoman on the second floor workin' a mop. And they miss the guy they're after.
    • 1965 January 24, “Bird Costs Cabbie $10”, in Hartford Courant:
      Washington Hacker Charles A. Culp and his pet macaw parrot, Capt. Bligh, ran afoul of the law when a policeman charged Culp with....
    • 1972, Richard Lockridge, Write murder down:
      "That's Brooklyn," the hacker said, his tone accusing. "I don't go to Brooklyn, mister. Anyways, I'm due at the garage." Nathan Shapiro is usually gentle with cab drivers. He was not, this hot afternoon of a fruitless day

Usage notes[edit]

  • There are significantly more meanings of the word within the United States[1] than in other English-speaking nations.
  • The use of the word hacker to indicate a person who displays skill, particularly with computers, may be misunderstood [2] as implying the narrow meaning of unauthorised intrusion into electronic systems (also known as a cracker or occasionally black hat). This serious misunderstanding in the field of computer expertise is perhaps particularly common outside the United States.
  • Some computer enthusiasts object to the use of hacker for a person who breaks into computer systems, preferring cracker for this sense.
  • Most recently there has been a tendency to use hacker in a positive sense in other domains: growth hacker, food hacker, sex hacker, etc.

Descendants[edit]

Translations[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ “hacker”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
  2. ^ “hacker”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Further reading[edit]

Czech[edit]

Etymology[edit]

English hacker

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

hacker m

  1. hacker (one who uses a computer to gain unauthorized access to data, or to carry out malicious attacks)

Derived terms[edit]

Further reading[edit]

  • hacker in Akademický slovník cizích slov, 1995, at prirucka.ujc.cas.cz

Danish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from English hacker, equivalent to hacke +‎ -er.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

hacker c (singular definite hackeren, plural indefinite hackere)

  1. (computing) hacker

Declension[edit]

Declension of hacker
common
gender 		Singular Plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative hacker hackeren hackere hackerne
genitive hackers hackerens hackeres hackernes

Verb[edit]

hacker

  1. present of hacke

Dutch[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from English hacker.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

hacker m (plural hackers)

  1. A hacker.

Related terms[edit]

French[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

From English hacker.

Noun[edit]

hacker m (plural hackers)

  1. (computing) hacker
    Synonym: hackeur

Etymology 2[edit]

English hack +‎ -er

Verb[edit]

hacker

  1. (computing) to hack
Conjugation[edit]
Conjugation of hacker (see also Appendix:French verbs)
infinitive simple hacker
compound avoir + past participle
present participle or gerund1 simple hackant
/a.kɑ̃/
compound ayant + past participle
past participle hacké
/a.ke/
singular plural
first second third first second third
indicative je (j’) tu il, elle, on nous vous ils, elles
(simple
tenses) 		present hacke
/ak/ 		hackes
/ak/ 		hacke
/ak/ 		hackons
/a.kɔ̃/ 		hackez
/a.ke/ 		hackent
/ak/
imperfect hackais
/a.kɛ/ 		hackais
/a.kɛ/ 		hackait
/a.kɛ/ 		hackions
/a.kjɔ̃/ 		hackiez
/a.kje/ 		hackaient
/a.kɛ/
past historic2 hackai
/a.ke/ 		hackas
/a.ka/ 		hacka
/a.ka/ 		hackâmes
/a.kam/ 		hackâtes
/a.kat/ 		hackèrent
/a.kɛʁ/
future hackerai
/a.kʁe/ 		hackeras
/a.kʁa/ 		hackera
/a.kʁa/ 		hackerons
/a.kʁɔ̃/ 		hackerez
/a.kʁe/ 		hackeront
/a.kʁɔ̃/
conditional hackerais
/a.kʁɛ/ 		hackerais
/a.kʁɛ/ 		hackerait
/a.kʁɛ/ 		hackerions
/a.kə.ʁjɔ̃/ 		hackeriez
/a.kə.ʁje/ 		hackeraient
/a.kʁɛ/
(compound
tenses) 		present perfect present indicative of avoir + past participle
pluperfect imperfect indicative of avoir + past participle
past anterior2 past historic of avoir + past participle
future perfect future of avoir + past participle
conditional perfect conditional of avoir + past participle
subjunctive que je (j’) que tu qu’il, qu’elle que nous que vous qu’ils, qu’elles
(simple
tenses) 		present hacke
/ak/ 		hackes
/ak/ 		hacke
/ak/ 		hackions
/a.kjɔ̃/ 		hackiez
/a.kje/ 		hackent
/ak/
imperfect2 hackasse
/a.kas/ 		hackasses
/a.kas/ 		hackât
/a.ka/ 		hackassions
/a.ka.sjɔ̃/ 		hackassiez
/a.ka.sje/ 		hackassent
/a.kas/
(compound
tenses) 		past present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
pluperfect2 imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative – tu – nous vous –
simple — hacke
/ak/ 		— hackons
/a.kɔ̃/ 		hackez
/a.ke/ 		—
compound — simple imperative of avoir + past participle — simple imperative of avoir + past participle simple imperative of avoir + past participle —
1 The French gerund is usable only with the preposition en.
2 In less formal writing or speech, these tenses may be found to have been replaced in the following way:
  • past historic → present perfect
  • past anterior → pluperfect
  • imperfect subjunctive → present subjunctive
  • pluperfect subjunctive → past subjunctive

(Christopher Kendris [1995], Master the Basics: French, pp. 77, 78, 79, 81).

Hungarian[edit]

Hungarian Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia hu

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from English hacker.

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): [ˈhɛkːɛr]
  • Hyphenation: ha‧cker
  • Rhymes: -ɛr

Noun[edit]

hacker (plural hackerek)

  1. (computing) hacker (one who is expert at programming and solving problems with a computer)
  2. (computing) hacker (one who uses a computer to gain unauthorized access to data, or to carry out malicious attacks)

Declension[edit]

Inflection (stem in -e-, front unrounded harmony)
singular plural
nominative hacker hackerek
accusative hackert hackereket
dative hackernek hackereknek
instrumental hackerrel hackerekkel
causal-final hackerért hackerekért
translative hackerré hackerekké
terminative hackerig hackerekig
essive-formal hackerként hackerekként
essive-modal — —
inessive hackerben hackerekben
superessive hackeren hackereken
adessive hackernél hackereknél
illative hackerbe hackerekbe
sublative hackerre hackerekre
allative hackerhez hackerekhez
elative hackerből hackerekből
delative hackerről hackerekről
ablative hackertől hackerektől
non-attributive
possessive - singular 		hackeré hackereké
non-attributive
possessive - plural 		hackeréi hackerekéi
Possessive forms of hacker
possessor single possession multiple possessions
1st person sing. hackerem hackereim
2nd person sing. hackered hackereid
3rd person sing. hackere hackerei
1st person plural hackerünk hackereink
2nd person plural hackeretek hackereitek
3rd person plural hackerük hackereik

Portuguese[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Unadapted borrowing from English hacker.

Pronunciation[edit]

 

Noun[edit]

hacker m or f by sense (plural hackers)

  1. (computing) hacker (one who is expert at programming and solving problems with a computer)
  2. (computing) hacker (one who uses a computer to gain unauthorised access to data)

Derived terms[edit]

Romanian[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Unadapted borrowing from English hacker.

Noun[edit]

hacker m (plural hackeri)

  1. hacker

Declension[edit]

Declension of hacker
singular plural
indefinite articulation definite articulation indefinite articulation definite articulation
nominative/accusative (un) hacker hackerul (niște) hackeri hackerii
genitive/dative (unui) hacker hackerului (unor) hackeri hackerilor
vocative hackerule hackerilor

Spanish[edit]

Spanish Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia es

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Unadapted borrowing from English hacker.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

hacker m or f (plural hackers or hacker)

  1. (computing) hacker

Usage notes[edit]

According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed.

Derived terms[edit]

Further reading[edit]

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