Hello there! You’ve found your way to Simply CSOFT, the company blog of CSOFT International, where we share the newest and latest in the localization industry, give you a peek behind the scenes at CSOFT, and supply you otherwise interesting and fun content! Today happens to be a Wednesday, so you’re in for a fresh edition of Wacky Word Wednesday, a tradition started over three years ago with the first Wacky Word!
Here’s this week’s word from TermWiki.com:
 |
gleek[gleek]-verb 1. to make a joke, trick, jest. |
 |
 |
The verb to gleek, in the sense of ‘to make a joke,’ is used very sparsely these days and may be classified as archaic. Shakespeare included gleeking in several of his plays (e.g. A Midsummer Night’s Dream), leading to the coinage of the term “Shakespearean gleek” to refer to the joking sense.
The potentially etymologically related second sense is more common. In this sense, gleeking is an informal word for the act of drooling or, more prosaically, the discharge of liquid from salivary glands under the tongue. Some people unintentionally gleek when they yawn, while others cultivate their gleeking skills, considering it an advanced form of spitting (for more information click here).
Recently, gleek has also come to be used as a noun to refer to people (typically high school students) who are involved in choirs and singing. The use of gleek in this sense has a different, more recent etymology though. Here, it’s a portmanteau of geek and glee as in glee clubs (as popularized by Glee, the 2009 TV series). A similar newly introduced portmanteau is twihard.
As usual, we have provided you with helpful examples of the word used in context:
- I have seen you gleeking and galling at this gentleman twice or thrice. (Henry V)
- The man said he “gleeked” on the woman, but did not intentionally spit on her. (Wiktionary)
If you have any suggestions for future Wacky Words, don’t hesitate to leave a comment! Have a nice week and see you next time!
If you’re interested in learning more about CSOFT’s globalization and localization solutions, check out our website here.
[dqr_code size="120" bgcolor="#fff"]