Grok (/ ˈɡrɒk /) is a neologism coined by the American writer Robert A. Heinlein for his 1961 science fiction novel Stranger in a Strange Land.

“Grok” was invented by American science fiction author Robert A. Heinlein in his 1961 novel Stranger in a Strange Land. In the book, it’s a Martian word spoken by protagonist Valentine Michael Smith.

Nov 10, 2023 · "Grok" comes from the sci-fi novel "Stranger in a Strange Land" and means "to understand" something deeply and innately. Computer geeks adopted "grok" to describe a profound …

Jul 11, 2012 · Grok may be the only English word that derives from Martian. Yes, we do mean the language of the planet Mars. No, we're not getting spacey; we've just ventured into the realm of …

Grok means to understand something deeply and on an intuitive level, to understand something thoroughly and beyond logic, to establish a deep rapport with someone. The word grok was coined …

Where does the verb grok come from? The earliest known use of the verb grok is in the 1960s. OED's earliest evidence for grok is from 1961, in the writing of R. Heinlein. An arbitrary formation.

Where Does It Come From? Robert A. Heinlein crafted "grok" in "Stranger in a Strange Land" from a supposed Martian language, intending for it to express not just understanding but the internalization …

Jul 30, 2025 · “Grok” wasn’t born in a dictionary—it came straight out of science fiction. The term was first coined by American writer Robert A. Heinlein in his 1961 novel Stranger in a Strange Land.

Aug 12, 2025 · What Does “Grok” Mean? The term “grok” was coined by Robert A. Heinlein in his 1961 novel Stranger in a Strange Land. In the book the Martian verb originally means “to drink,” but …

The word "grok" was coined by Robert A. Heinlein in his 1961 novel Stranger in a Strange Land. In the story, "grok" is a Martian word meaning to fully understand something through empathy or intuition, …