The orginal geek bit the heads off chickens

My wife asked me what the word 'geek'
meant. I wanted to be sure I gave the proper definition, so
looked it up. One thing I didn't know was the origin of the word
'geek'.  I'm not sure how credible to following is, but thought I'd share with you this entry at dict.die.net:

"Originally, a `geek' was a carnival performer who bit the heads off
chickens. Before about 1990 usage of this term was rather negative.
Earlier versions of this lexicon defined a `computer geek' as one who
eats (computer) bugs for a living - an asocial, malodorous, pasty-faced
monomaniac with all the personality of a cheese grater."