Varangian

English

Etymology

Ultimately from Byzantine Greek Βάραγγος (Bárangos), from Medieval Latin Varingus, from Old Norse væringi, from várr (“pledge”) or værr (“pledge”), which is cognate with Old English wǣr (“fidelity, loyalty”), + Old Norse gangi (“companion”). Cognate with Old English wærgenga.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vəˈɹæn.d͡ʒi.ən/

  • Audio (Southern England)

    (file)

• Hyphenation: Va‧ran‧gi‧an

Noun

Varangian (plural Varangians)

1. (historical) A member of the ethnically Scandinavian people around the borders of Constantinople in the ninth and tenth centuries.
2. (historical) A member of the imperial body guard at Constantinople from 955.
   • 2009, Diarmaid MacCulloch, A History of Christianity, Penguin, published 2010, page 506:

     The Byzantines continued to recruit elite warriors from the north, not merely from Rus’ but directly from far-off Scandinavia; from the end of the tenth century, they referred to them as ‘Varangians’.

Synonyms

• Varyag

Translations

member of a Scandinavian tribe

• Armenian: վարյագ (hy) (varyag)
• Belarusian: вара́г m (varáh)
• Bulgarian: варя́г m (varjág)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 瓦良格人 (Wǎliánggé rén), 瓦里亞基人／瓦里亚基人 (Wǎlǐyǎjī rén)

• Danish: væring c
• Dutch: Varjaag
• Faroese: væringi m
• Finnish: varjagi (fi), varanki
• French: Varègue (fr) m or f
• German: Waräger (de) m
• Greek: Βάραγγος m (Várangos)
• Japanese: ヴァリャーグ (Varyāgu)
• Norwegian: væring
• Old Church Slavonic: Варѧгъ (Varęgŭ)
• Old East Slavic: варѧгъ (varęgŭ)
• Portuguese: varangiano m
• Russian: варя́г (ru) m (varjág)
• Slovak: Variagovia m pl
• Spanish: varego m
• Swedish: varjag, väring (sv) c, rus (sv)
• Ukrainian: варя́г m (varjáh)

member of the imperial body guard at Constantinople from 955

• Armenian: վարյագ (hy) (varyag)
• Danish: væring c
• Faroese: væringi m
• Finnish: varjagikaarti
• Greek: Βαράγγειοι m pl (Varángeioi)
• Portuguese: varangiano m
• Spanish: varego m
• Swedish: väring (sv) c

Adjective

Varangian (not comparable)

1. Of or pertaining to the Varangians.
2. Of or pertaining to the Varanger Peninsula in Norway.
3. (geology) Pertaining to a period of intense glaciation during the late Proterozoic eon.

Translations

of or pertaining to the Varangians

• Armenian: վարյագական (hy) (varyagakan)
• Russian: варя́жский (ru) (varjážskij)

References

• “Varangian”, in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam, 1913, →OCLC.