hacker

== English == === Pronunciation === (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /hækə/ (General American) IPA(key): /hækəɹ/ Rhymes: -ækə(ɹ) Hyphenation: hack‧er === Etymology 1 === From Late Middle English hackere, hakker, hakkere (“one who cuts wood, woodchopper, woodcutter; (rare) tool for cutting wood”), from hakken, hacke (“to cut (something) with a chopping action, hack; to make a chopping action”) + -er(e) (suffix forming agent nouns). Hakken is derived from Old English *haccian (“to hack”), from Proto-West Germanic *hakkōn (“to chop, hack”), from Proto-Germanic *hakkōną (“to chop, hack”), from Proto-Indo-European *keg-, *keng- (“to be sharp; a handle; a hook; a peg”). The English word may be analysed as hack (“to chop or cut down in a rough manner”) +‎ -er (suffix forming agent nouns). ==== Noun ==== hacker (plural hackers) Someone who hacks. One who cuts with heavy or rough blows. Synonyms: cutter, slasher One who is inexperienced or unskilled at a particular activity, especially (sports, originally and chiefly golf), a sport such as golf or tennis. (computing, dated) One who is expert at programming and solving problems with a computer. (by extension) One who applies a novel method, shortcut, skill, or trick to something to increase ease, efficiency, or productivity. (computer security, telecommunications) One who uses a computer to gain unauthorized access to data stored in, or to carry out malicious attacks on, computer networks or computer systems. Synonyms: black hat, (outside US) cracker (by extension, computer security, telecommunications) Synonym of white hat (“a computer security professional who hacks computers for a good cause, or to aid a company, organization, or government without causing harm (for example, to identify security flaws)”). (by extension, video games, slang) Someone who cheats or gains an unfair advantage in a video game by means of a disallowed modification to the game. Hyponym: aimbotter (obsolete) Synonym of hackster (“a violent bully or ruffian; also, an assassin, a murderer”). Something that hacks; a device or tool for hacking; specifically, an axe used for cutting tree branches or wood. (British, regional) A fork-shaped tool used to harvest root vegetables. ===== Usage notes ===== Some computer enthusiasts object to the use of the word hacker for a person who breaks into computer systems (etymology 1 sense 1.4), preferring cracker for this sense. ===== Derived terms ===== ===== Related terms ===== hacktivist (computer security) ===== Descendants ===== ===== Translations ===== === Etymology 2 === Possibly from hack(ney cab) (“carriage pulled by a hackney horse, or motorized vehicle, available for public hire”) +‎ -er (suffix forming agent nouns). ==== Noun ==== hacker (plural hackers) (US, road transport) One who operates a taxicab; a cabdriver. Synonyms: cabbie, cabman, taxi driver ===== Translations ===== === Etymology 3 === From hack (“(obsolete) to confuse or mangle (words) when speaking”) +‎ -er (suffix forming frequentative verbs). ==== Verb ==== hacker (third-person singular simple present hackers, present participle hackering, simple past and past participle hackered) (intransitive, chiefly British, dialectal, archaic) To speak with a spasmodic repetition of vocal sounds; to stammer, to stutter; also, to mumble and procrastinate in one's speech; to hem and haw. ===== Translations ===== === References === === Further reading === hacker on Wikipedia.Wikipedia hacker (disambiguation) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia G. Malkin, T. LaQuey Parker, editors (January 1993), “hacker”, in RFC 1392 – Internet Users’ Glossary‎[9], archived from the original on 12 February 2023. Eric S[teven] Raymond, editor (29 December 2003), “hacker”, in The Jargon File, version 4.4.7‎[10], archived from the original on 7 September 2023. == Czech == === Etymology === Unadapted borrowing from English hacker. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): [ˈɦɛkr̩] IPA(key): [ˈɦɛkɛr] === Noun === hacker m anim (relational adjective hackerský) hacker (one who uses a computer to gain unauthorized access to data, or to carry out malicious attacks) ==== Declension ==== ==== Derived terms ==== === Further reading === “hacker”, in Akademický slovník cizích slov at prirucka.ujc.cas.cz [Academic dictionary of foreign words] (in Czech), 1995 == Danish == === Etymology === Borrowed from English hacker, equivalent to hacke +‎ -er. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): [ˈhaɡ̊ɐ] === Noun === hacker c (singular definite hackeren, plural indefinite hackere) (computing) hacker ==== Declension ==== === Verb === hacker present of hacke == Dutch == === Etymology === Borrowed from English hacker. === Pronunciation === (Netherlands) IPA(key): /ˈɦɛ.kər/ Hyphenation: hac‧ker Rhymes: -ɛkər === Noun === hacker m (plural hackers, no diminutive) a hacker ==== Related terms ==== hack hacken == French == === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /a.ke/ === Etymology 1 === Borrowed from English hacker. ==== Noun ==== hacker m (plural hackers) (computing) hacker Synonym: hackeur === Etymology 2 === From English hack +‎ -er. ==== Verb ==== hacker (computing) to hack ===== Conjugation ===== == Hungarian == === Alternative forms === hekker === Etymology === Borrowed from English hacker. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): [ˈhɛkːɛr] Hyphenation: ha‧cker Rhymes: -ɛr === Noun === hacker (plural hackerek) (computing) hacker (one who is expert at programming and solving problems with a computer) (computing) hacker (one who uses a computer to gain unauthorized access to data, or to carry out malicious attacks) ==== Declension ==== == Italian == === Etymology === Unadapted borrowing from English hacker. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈa.ker/ === Noun === hacker m or f by sense (invariable) (computing) hacker (one who is expert at programming and solving problems with a computer) (computing) hacker (one who uses a computer to gain unauthorised access to data) ==== Derived terms ==== hackerare == Portuguese == === Alternative forms === ráquer === Etymology === Unadapted borrowing from English hacker. === Pronunciation === === Noun === hacker m or f by sense (plural hackers) (computing) hacker (one who is expert at programming and solving problems with a computer) (computing) hacker (one who uses a computer to gain unauthorised access to data) ==== Derived terms ==== hackear === Further reading === “hacker”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026 “hacker”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026 == Romanian == === Etymology === Unadapted borrowing from English hacker. === Noun === hacker m (plural hackeri) hacker ==== Declension ==== == Spanish == === Etymology === Unadapted borrowing from English hacker. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈxakeɾ/ [ˈxa.keɾ] Rhymes: -akeɾ IPA(key): /ˈhakeɾ/ [ˈha.ker] Rhymes: -akeɾ IPA(key): /hakˈkeɾ/ [hak̚ˈker] Rhymes: -eɾ Syllabification: hac‧ker === Noun === hacker m or f by sense (plural hackers or hacker) (computing) alternative form of jáquer ==== Usage notes ==== According to Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) prescriptions, unadapted foreign words should be written in italics in a text printed in roman type, and vice versa, and in quotation marks in a manuscript text or when italics are not available. In practice, this RAE prescription is not always followed. ==== Derived terms ==== === Further reading === “hacker”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025 “hacker” in Lexico, Oxford University Press.