Varangian

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vəˈɹæn.d͡ʒi.ən/
• 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 2010, p. 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 m
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Greek: Βάραγγος m (Várangos)
• Japanese: ヴァリャーグ (Varyāgu)
• Norwegian: væring
• Old Church Slavonic: Варѧгъ (Varęgŭ)
• Old East Slavic: Варягъ (Varjagŭ)
• 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
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• 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)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Russian: варя́жский (ru) (varjážskij)

References

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