Vikings

Vi·king

[vahy-king]
noun ( sometimes lowercase )
1.
any of the Scandinavian pirates who plundered the coasts of Europe from the 8th to 10th centuries.
2.
a sea-roving bandit; pirate.
3.
a Scandinavian.
4.
U.S. Aerospace. one of a series of space probes that obtained scientific information about Mars.
Origin:
1800–10; < Scandinavian; compare Old Norse vīkingr; compare Old English wīcing pirate; etymology disputed

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Vikings is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
Viking (ˈvaɪkɪŋ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
1.  Norseman, Also called: Northman any of the Danes, Norwegians, and Swedes who raided by sea most of N and W Europe from the 8th to the 11th centuries, later often settling, as in parts of Britain
2.  any sea rover, plunderer, or pirate
3.  either of two unmanned American spacecraft that reached Mars in 1976
4.  (modifier) of, relating to, or characteristic of a Viking or Vikings: a Viking ship
 
[C19: from Old Norse vīkingr, probably from vīk creek, sea inlet + -ingr (see -ing³); perhaps related to Old English wīc camp]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

Viking
Scandinavian pirate, 1807, vikingr; modern spelling attested from 1840. The word is a historical revival; it was not used in M.E., but it was revived from O.N. vikingr, which usually is explained as prop. "one who came from the fjords," from vik "creek, inlet" (cf. O.E. wic, M.H.G. wich "bay," and second
element in Reykjavik). But O.E. wicing and O.Fris. wizing are almost 300 years older, and probably derive from wic "village, camp" (temporary camps were a feature of the Viking raids), related to L. vicus "village, habitation" (see villa). The connection between the O.N. and O.E. words is still much debated. The period of Viking activity was roughly 8c. to 11c. In the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, the raiding armies generally were referred to as þa Deniscan "the Danes," while those who settled in England were identified by their place of settlement.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary

Vikings definition


Warriors from Scandinavia who raided much of coastal Europe in the eighth to tenth centuries. The Vikings traveled in boats with high bows and sterns, carefully designed for either rough seas or calm waters. Eventually some Vikings settled in the countries they plundered and established new societies.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

vikings

highly popular Jamaican vocal ensemble of the 1960s and '70s, one of the great reggae groups. The members were Toots Hibbert (original name Frederick Hibbert; b. 1946, Maypen, Jamaica, ), Nathaniel ("Jerry") Matthias (or McCarthy; b. c. 1945, Jamaica, ), and Henry ("Raleigh") Gordon (b. c. 1945, Jamaica, ).

Learn more about Vikings with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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