Grokking

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To thoroughly and instinctively understand a concept or idea while assimilating its elements into one's own perspective
2. To achieve an intuitive comprehension of information or concepts, leading to deep insights and personal connection
3. To comprehend something so fully that its meaning becomes clear as if instinctively known

Etymology: Robert A. Heinlein invented "grok" from nothing in his 1961 novel "Stranger in a Strange Land," where it was a word in the fictional Martian language meaning, literally, "to drink." Heinlein's Martian sense extended the drinking image to taking in every aspect of reality until the observer and the observed become one, and it was that fusion of understanding and absorption that gave the verb its appeal. The coinage may not have been entirely original. The science fiction writer William Tenn later asked Heinlein whether the word had been inspired by "griggo," a term appearing in Tenn's 1949 story "Venus and the Seven Sexes." Heinlein reportedly looked startled, thought about it for a long time, and then said, "It's possible, very possible."

Synonyms: understanding, comprehending

Antonyms: misunderstanding, confusing