To
grok is a
slang verb sometimes used by
geeks meaning "to understand completely."
The term originated in
Robert Heinlein's novel 'Stranger in a Strange Land' where it is used by a Martian and literally means "to drink."
A character in the novel (not the primary user) defines it:
- "'Grok' means to understand so thoroughly that the observer becomes a part of the observed -- to merge, blend, intermarry, lose identity in group experience. It means almost everything that we mean by religion, philosophy, and science -- and it means as little to us (because we are from Earth) as color means to a blind man."