Nordic

[nawr-dik]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or characteristic of a Germanic people of northern European origin, exemplified by the Scandinavians.

2. having or suggesting the physical characteristics associated with these people, typically tall stature, blond hair, blue eyes, and elongated head.

3. (sometimes lowercase),  of or relating to skiing events involving ski jumping and cross-country skiing.

noun

1. a member of the Nordic people, especially a Scandinavian.

nordic

¹

/ ˈnɔːdɪk /

adjective

1. skiing of or relating to competitions in cross-country racing and ski-jumping Compare alpine

2. (of recreational walking) incorporating the use of poles that resemble ski poles to aid movement

Nordic

²

/ ˈnɔːdɪk /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or belonging to a subdivision of the Caucasoid race typified by the tall blond blue-eyed long-headed inhabitants of N Britain, Scandinavia, N Germany, and the Netherlands

Other Word Forms

• Nordicity noun
• anti-Nordic adjective
• non-Nordic adjective
• pro-Nordic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Nordic¹

1895–1900; < French nordique, equivalent to nord north + -ique -ic

Word History and Origins

Origin of Nordic¹

C19: from French nordique, from nord _north

Example Sentences

The conference "Imagining Nordic Paganism: Cultural Memories and Scholarly Thought Since the Middle Ages" focuses on the long history of how Scandinavian paganism has been interpreted.

Read more on Science Daily

But the deeper story is institutional: By narrowing inequality and widening access to opportunity, Nordic countries have made the climb less treacherous.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Luckily for Penelope, back on land Captain Strøm was the doting father to a houseful of tall, strong-limbed daughters, and it was not in his great Nordic heart to toss her overboard.

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He did Norwegian and Irish accents in respective sketches about overenthusiastic actors in a Nordic film and one modeled after Liam Neeson’s “Taken” films.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Nordic and Baltic countries on Thursday announced that they would contribute $500 million to a scheme set up to purchase US weapons for Ukraine.

Read more on Barron's

When To Use

What is Nordic skiing?

Nordic is a classification used to refer to types of skiing, including cross-country skiing and ski jumping.The terms Nordic and Nordic skiing are used in contrast with Alpine and Alpine skiing, which refer to what’s sometimes also called downhill skiing. Alpine events include the downhill, the slalom, the giant slalom, and the super giant slalom (popularly called Super G). Both nordic and alpine are sometimes left uncapitalized.There are multiple Nordic events in the Winter Olympics, including multiple events in both ski jumping (Normal Hill and Large Hill) and cross-country skiing (including sprints and longer distance races, such as the one known as Skiathlon). The event called Nordic Combined features both cross-country skiing and ski jumping.There are also Nordic skiing events in the Paralympic Winter Games.The skis used in Nordic skiing differ from those used in Alpine skiing in shape, size, and structure.Example: Alpine skiing gets a lot of attention during the Olympics, but the Nordic events are also very exciting to watch.