English word origin

Etymology of dweeb

From 1968 US college slang, probably related to feeb. The 1980s backronym Dim-Witted Eastern-Educated Boor derives from apparent social and attitudinal differences between West Coast and East Coast US, and describes a st

1 source sectionExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 1 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Unnumbered source etymology

Original entry ↗

noun

A boring, studious, or socially inept person.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":influence",
        "3": "en:feeb<id:feeble>",
        "id": "boring person",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "[Appendix:Glossary#contamination|Influenced by]]\", \"terms\" : [ { \"id\" : \"feeble\", \"children\" : [ ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"feeb\", \"lang\" : \"en\" } ], \"keyword\" : \"influence\" } ], \"status\" : \"ok\", \"lang_name\" : \"English\", \"term\" : \"dweeb\", \"lang\" : \"en\" }\" data-id=\"boring person\" data-lang=\"en\" data-title=\"dweeb\" id=\"English:_boring_person\">"
    },
    {
      "name": "etymon",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": ":influence",
        "3": "en:feeb<id:feeble>",
        "id": "boring person",
        "tree": "1"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "feeb",
      "feeb#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A boring, studious, or socially inept person."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "dated",
        "derogatory",
        "general",
        "slang"
      ],
      "recordId": "12948234314d7363ee45305bdfca55428d4f61865f850aa1d87f86146f635cac",
      "rawRecordSha256": "6cde6d482c5180b90f99b7e22886a2f97347efe01ca8ab04359467f3e8999d0e",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 267153
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for dweeb →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-ZHdlZWI