víkingr
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Old Norse[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Proto-Germanic *wīkingaz. Cognate with Old English wīċing and Old Frisian wītsing.
May be equivalent to Vík + -ingr, or the more general vík (“bay, inlet”) + -ingr. Others proposals were made, like e.g. deriving víkingr from the root related to the verb víkja (or its Proto-Germanic equivalent). [1]
Pronunciation[edit]
- (9th century West Norse) IPA(key): /ˈwiːkinɡɹ̝/, [ˈwiː.cɪ̃ŋɡ̊ɹ̻̊˔]
- (12th century Icelandic) IPA(key): /ˈwiːkinɡr/
Noun[edit]
víkingr m (genitive víkings, plural víkingar)
- opportunistic seafaring adventurer out to raid and pillage, explore and settle new lands or conduct trading voyages
- pirate raider, freebooter, viking
Usage notes[edit]
- Unlike in modern English, this term only refers to a person out on the denoted activity, not to all Norse people of the time.
Declension[edit]
Declension of víkingr (strong a-stem)
| masculine | singular | plural | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| indefinite | definite | indefinite | definite | |
| nominative | víkingr | víkingrinn | víkingar | víkingarnir |
| accusative | víking | víkinginn | víkinga | víkingana |
| dative | víkingi | víkinginum | víkingum | víkingunum |
| genitive | víkings | víkingsins | víkinga | víkinganna |
Descendants[edit]
All descendants are learned borrowings.
- Icelandic: víkingur
- Faroese: víkingur
- Norwegian Nynorsk: viking
- Norwegian Bokmål: viking
- Old Swedish: ᚢᛁᚴᛁᚴᚱ (vīkingʀ) (Runic Swedish)
- Swedish: viking
- Danish: viking
- → English: Viking
- → German: Wikinger
- → Middle Irish: ucing
- Irish: uiging
- ⇒ Middle Irish: *ucingech
- Irish: Uigingeach
- Manx: Wiggynnagh
- Scottish Gaelic: Uiginneach
References[edit]
- ^ Eldar Heide (2005) Viking — ‘rower shifting'?