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antiquie

(4,299 posts)

18. Not just a "kid" word...

Fri Jul 11, 2014, 06:21 PM

Jul 2014

The word was coined by Robert A. Heinlein for his 1961 science-fiction novel, Stranger in a Strange Land, where one character defines it as follows:

Grok means to understand so thoroughly that the observer becomes a part of the observed—to merge, blend, intermarry, lose identity in group experience. It means almost everything that we mean by religion, philosophy, and science—and it means as little to us (because of our Earthling assumptions) as color means to a blind man.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines to grok as "to understand intuitively or by empathy; to establish rapport with" and "to empathize or communicate sympathetically (with); also, to experience enjoyment".

See here for more.

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OMG it's hilarious! Not. [View all] Scuba Jul 2014 OP

Kicked and recommended! Enthusiast Jul 2014 #1

Bushco left all sorts of little time bombs to explode at various intervals rurallib Jul 2014 #2

and how many dems just dont GROK that? mopinko Jul 2014 #6

what is GROK? rurallib Jul 2014 #8

its a kid word. sorry. but i do like it. mopinko Jul 2014 #9

yep rurallib Jul 2014 #11

That's no kid word hootinholler Jul 2014 #12

why thank you. mopinko Jul 2014 #13

It's from one of Heinlein's most famous and popular novels: kentauros Jul 2014 #17

The book is titled...Stranger in a Strange Land.. abakan Jul 2014 #22

I'm glad others provided the citation. hootinholler Jul 2014 #25

oh fun. mopinko Jul 2014 #28

Not just a "kid" word... antiquie Jul 2014 #18

hhmmm mopinko Jul 2014 #29

Love your ark pictures. antiquie Jul 2014 #30

thx mopinko Jul 2014 #31

and honestly, this is what dems ALWAYS end up doing. mopinko Jul 2014 #14

They HATE all government libodem Jul 2014 #23

Really should add "and we made a killing on our stock portfolios!" n2doc Jul 2014 #3

^^^this^^^ mopinko Jul 2014 #10

Ever notice proReality Jul 2014 #4

War criminals laughing. nt Mnemosyne Jul 2014 #5

They drove the car into the ditch. lpbk2713 Jul 2014 #7

k&r... (Will we ever see them in Jail?) nt AnotherDreamWeaver Jul 2014 #15

I wonder if DipShit will ever realize that his father and Cheney manipulated the shit out rhett o rick Jul 2014 #16

That's what happens, when you (refuse to do anything but) look "forward." blkmusclmachine Jul 2014 #19

Sociopaths. eom littlemissmartypants Jul 2014 #20

Thank you Scuba libodem Jul 2014 #21

Tweety, big ed, even Rachel to an extent. obxhead Jul 2014 #24

I think this fits here.. thanks Scuba Cha Jul 2014 #26

It was signed by Bush. It was as "bipartisan" as it can get. delrem Jul 2014 #27