longship

American  

[lawng-ship, long-] / ˈlɔŋˌʃɪp, ˈlɒŋ- /

noun

1. a medieval ship used in northern Europe especially by the Norse, having a long, narrow, open hull, a single square sail, and a large number of oars, which provided most of the propulsion.

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longship British  

/ ˈlɒŋˌʃɪp /

noun

1. a narrow open vessel with oars and a square sail, used esp by the Vikings during medieval times

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Etymology

Origin of longship

First recorded in 1560–70; long ¹ + ship ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

longship

"Matt Damon was very nice and very good. Never complained. Every one of the actors was out for a long time and it was very cold and sometimes rough," recalled the longship captain, Bjorn Ahlander.

From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026

Funding will also go toward the development of a virtual reality model of a Viking Age longship by undergraduate researchers at Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa.

From New York Times ● Jan. 10, 2023

The Oseberg ship, a surviving Viking longship discovered in a Viking burial mound in Norway and preserved in a dedicated museum in Oslo.

From Textbooks ● Jan. 1, 2020

She's pulling her oar in an opposite direction, the one rower facing the wrong way in the Viking longship.

From BBC ● Feb. 8, 2016

Most of the islanders were indifferent riders at best, more comfortable on the deck of a longship than in the saddle.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin