A brainiac is someone very, very intelligent — often the science-and-puzzles kind, the person who loves hard problems and finishes them fast. Informal, and it feels especially American.

A brainiac is someonebrainiac指的是某個人 very, very intelligent非常非常聰明——often the science-and-puzzles kind通常是科學和解謎那一型的，the person who loves hard problems and finishes them fast喜歡難題、而且很快就能解決的人。Informal是口語用法，and it feels especially American而且特別有美式的味道。

Friends may say it with a grin; it can praise, and it can also tease, almost like nerd, putting someone in a “too into books” box. A formal paper would probably say brilliant or highly intelligent instead.

Friends may say it with a grin朋友可能會笑著這樣說；it can praise可以是稱讚，and it can also tease也可以是調侃，almost like nerd幾乎跟nerd差不多，putting someone in a “too into books” box把人歸進「太愛唸書」的那一類。A formal paper would probably say brilliant or highly intelligent instead正式的文章大概會改用brilliant或highly intelligent。

The word was coined as the name of a Superman villain in Action Comics #242 in July 1958. It is a blend of brain and maniac, with a nod to ENIAC, an early computer; on the surface it can also look like brainy + -ac.

The word was coined這個字最早是被創造出來 as the name of a Superman villain當作超人漫畫裡一個反派的名字，in Action Comics #242 in July 1958出現在1958年7月的Action Comics #242。It它 is a blend of brain and maniac是brain和maniac合成的字，with a nod to ENIAC, an early computer也向早期電腦ENIAC致意；on the surface it can also look like brainy + -ac表面上看起來也像是brainy加上-ac。

So a comic-book name walked out into everyday talk. You do not need the comic to use it.

So一個漫畫裡的名字，就這樣走進了日常對話 a comic-book name walked out into everyday talk。You do not need the comic to use it你不需要看過那本漫畫，也可以用這個字。

Though actually, it does not mean the person is mad, even though maniac sits inside the word — it means their brain is the wild part.

Though actually不過其實，it does not mean the person is mad它不代表這個人瘋了，even though maniac sits inside the word雖然maniac這個字就藏在裡面——it means their brain is the wild part它的意思是，瘋狂的是這個人的腦袋。