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

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

Pyramids, castles, palaces: symbols of power and status have taken many forms down the ages, and for the Vikings what really counted was the longship.

From BBC • Dec. 3, 2020

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

Neil Robertson stood atop his Viking longship, staring blankly into the distance.

From Slate • Oct. 30, 2015

It would have been a much different voyage if a longship from the islands had been waiting at Seagard as he'd hoped.

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