grok!

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

I've seen the term "grok," but I've always treated it as a curiosity, never quite aware of what it actually meant, always thinking it was something out of a D&D manual. Probably third edition.

But it turns out that "grok" is a legitimate word--really! In fact, it's a term for one of the most beautiful concepts imaginable: to understand thoroughly and intuitively.

It was coined by Robert "Starship Troopers" Heinlein in his 1961 novel Stranger in a Strange Land.

But such a concept deserves a better-sounding term to express it. I nominate "unithought," despite it's sounding like something from 1984. Any other suggestions?