Viking

See also: viking, víking, and vîkîng

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Borrowed from Old Norse víkingr. Already in Old English as wīcing and Old Frisian witsing, wising, but extinct in Middle English and borrowed anew in the 19th century.

Old Norse víking (marauding, piracy) itself is from Old Norse vík (inlet, cove, fjord) + -ing (one belonging to, one who frequents) (the -r is the nominative desinence). Thus, “one from or who frequents the sea’s inlets”.

The Old English and Anglo-Frisian form, existing since at least the eighth century, could also have been derived from or influenced by Old English wīc (camp), on account of the temporary encampments which were often a prominent feature of the Vikings’ raids.[1]

Pronunciation

Noun

Viking (plural Vikings)

  1. (historical) One of the Scandinavian or other Northern European seafaring warriors that raided (and then settled) the British Isles and other parts of Europe in the 8th to the 11th centuries and, according to many historians, were the first Europeans to reach North America.
  2. (by extension, fantasy) A stock character common in the fantasy genre, namely a barbarian, generally equipped with an axe or sword and a helmet adorned with horns.
  3. (colloquial) A Norseman (mediaeval Scandinavian).
  4. (colloquial, humorous, mildly offensive) An ethnic Swede, Norwegian, Dane, Icelander or Faroe Islander.
  5. (American football) A player on the Minnesota Vikings NFL team.

Derived terms

Translations

Proper noun

Viking

  1. A sea area between Scotland and Norway
  2. A town in Alberta, Canada
  3. A city in Minnesota

References

  1. Viking” listed in the Oxford English Dictionary [2nd Ed.; 1989]

Czech

Etymology

From Old Norse víkingr.

Pronunciation

  • (file)

Noun

Viking m

  1. Viking

Declension


Slovak

Etymology

From Old Norse víkingr.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈvikiŋɡ/

Noun

Viking m (genitive singular Vikinga, nominative plural Vikingovia, genitive plural Vikingov, declension pattern of chlap)

  1. Viking

Declension

References

  • Viking in Slovak dictionaries at korpus.sk

Swedish

Etymology

Originally a nickname, appearing in runestones, from Old Norse víkingr (a Viking). Revived as a given name since 1829.

Proper noun

Viking c (genitive Vikings)

  1. A male given name.
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