knurd

   1.   [RPI]  Renssaleer  Polytechnic  Institute  local  slang  roughly
   equivalent  to  the positive sense of {geek}, referring to people who
   prefer technical hobbies to socializing.

   2.  In  older usage at RPI, the term signified someone new to college
   life, fresh out of high school, and wet behind the ears.

   An  IEEE  Spectrum article (4/95, page 16) once derived `nerd' in its
   variant  form `knurd' from the word `drunk' backwards; this etymology
   was  common  at  RPI.  Though it is commonly confused with {nerd}, it
   appears    these   words   have   separate   origins   (compare   the
   {kluge}/{kludge} pair).

[glossary]
[Reference(s) to this entry by made by: {nerd}]