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Norse

American  
[nawrs] / nɔrs /

adjective

  1. of or relating to ancient Scandinavia, its inhabitants, or their language.

  2. Norwegian.


noun

Norses plural
  1. (used with a plural verb) the Norwegians, especially the ancient Norwegians.

  2. (used with a plural verb) the Northmen or ancient Scandinavians generally.

  3. the Norwegian language, especially in its older forms.

Norse British  
/ nɔːs /

adjective

  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of ancient and medieval Scandinavia or its inhabitants

  2. of, relating to, or characteristic of Norway

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

    1. the N group of Germanic languages, spoken in Scandinavia; Scandinavian

    2. any one of these languages, esp in their ancient or medieval forms See also Proto-Norse Old Norse

  1. (functioning as plural)

    1. the Norwegians

    2. the Vikings

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

Etymology

Origin of Norse

1590–1600; perhaps < Dutch noorsch, obsolete variant of noordsch (now noords ), equivalent to noord north + -sch -ish 1. Compare Norwegian, Swedish, Danish Norsk Norwegian, Norse

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

In April, Norse Atlantic Airways canceled all of its summer flights out of LAX to Europe, including destinations like London, Paris and Rome.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 5, 2026

The partnership between ravens and wolves goes back to Norse mythology -- Odin's birds scouted ahead and led prey to the god's canines, a relationship that provided food for all.

From Barron's • Mar. 12, 2026

A nod to Shetland's Norse heritage, the parade is led by a group of Vikings, locally known as the "Jarl Squad".

From BBC • Jan. 27, 2026

The Norse stayed there for decades if not centuries, making the region part of an ocean-spanning empire governed from Norway.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 20, 2026

But the coast of North America lay effectively beyond the reach of ships sailing directly from Norway itself, given Norse ship technology of the period A.D. 986-1410.

From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond

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