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berserk
[ ber-surk, -zurk ]
adjective
- violently or destructively frenzied; wild; crazed; deranged:
He suddenly went berserk.
noun
- (sometimes initial capital letter) Scandinavian Legend. Also berserker. an ancient Norse warrior who fought with frenzied rage in battle, possibly induced by eating hallucinogenic mushrooms.
berserk
/ bəˈzɜːk; -ˈsɜːk /
adjective
- frenziedly violent or destructive (esp in the phrase go berserk )
noun
- Also calledberserker a member of a class of ancient Norse warriors who worked themselves into a frenzy before battle and fought with insane fury and courage
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Other Words From
- ber·serk·ly adverb
- ber·serk·ness noun
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Word History and Origins
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Word History and Origins
Origin of berserk1
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Example Sentences
It’s still not fully understood why Maria had suddenly gone berserk.
“We all just went berserk with joy,” Martin recalled this week in a Zoom interview.
A recent NBC report, for instance, describes how QAnon groups radicalized a woman into attacking a mask display at Target, and another into going berserk about masks at a Florida city government meeting.
In the middle of the game, one of the mascots lost his head and went berserk, pushing kids out of the way to find it.
“She accused me of sexual harassment and went completely berserk,” he says.
Just take it from this household appliance that goes completely berserk when the music starts.
The throw by Yankee outfielder Shane Spencer went literally berserk.
It was as if the human immune system had suddenly and inexplicably gone berserk.
If she's gone Berserk on your account, I warn you that she's in the mood to marry the first man in the street who's kind to her.
It came only when Bob went berserk, and fought with his hands.
With that the big servo-pilot took off for 22A like a berserk robot and we were right behind him.
He muttered half aloud and then quite suddenly went berserk.
Hægberg was going about with his leather apron hanging down over one shoulder, as furious as a Berserk.
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More About Berserk
What does berserk mean?
Berserk describes violent, destructive, or deranged behavior.
Berserk frequently describes someone who is acting wild, crazy, or deranged. It is commonly used with forms of the verb go, as in go berserk or went berserk, meaning someone suddenly erupted into a frenzy of angry or violent behavior.
In Norse and Germanic folklore, a berserk (or berserker) is a warrior who worships the Norse god Odin, fighting savagely and without control, possibly from eating hallucinogenic mushrooms. They were said to wear shirts made of bearskin (see “Where does berserk come from?” below) and were often the villains in Norse sagas. Today, this sense is used figuratively to define any person who is prone to acting out angrily, especially without cause.
Example: I told him that his music wasn’t even that great, and he went berserk.
Where does berserk come from?
The first records of the term berserk come from the mid-1800s. It comes from the Icelandic term berserk, which combines björn, meaning “bear,” and serkr, meaning “shirt.” The berserking warriors of legend are typically depicted as wearing bearskin armor.
Berserk is a common theme in violent fiction. The 1987 horror film “Berserker” is about the legend appearing in modern times, and the Japanese manga series Berserk features a character known for his wild, frenzied fighting style. The term berserk is also often used to describe fighters in TV, film, and professional wrestling.
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How is berserk used in real life?
Berserk is usually used critically or as an insult, almost always commenting on another person’s or an animal’s behavior.
Filming starts gently tomorrow. Then it goes berserk. See you all in Terminal 5.
— Jeremy Clarkson (@JeremyClarkson) February 10, 2016
Kick your shoes off, let your hair down, go berserk… ALL NIGHT LONG.
— Ian Eastwood (@Ian_Eastwood) November 8, 2013
Berserk llama syndrome is a real condition where a llama believes its human owner is also a llama, causing the animal to become aggressive.
— UberFacts (@UberFacts) May 7, 2016
Try using berserk!
Is berserk used correctly in the following sentence?
Wendell went berserk, calmly walking across the field and into the woods.
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