sea king

American  

noun

1. one of the piratical Scandinavian chiefs who ravaged the coasts of medieval Europe.

2. (initial capital letters) a twin-engine U.S. Navy helicopter for rescue work and antisubmarine warfare.

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sea king British  

noun

1. any of the greater Viking pirate chiefs who led raids on the coasts of early medieval Europe

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Etymology

Origin of sea king

1575–85; translation of Old Norse sǣkonungr; cognate with Old English sǣcyning

Example Sentences

They were banded together in great hordes, each ruled by a chieftain, who was called a sea king, because his dominions scarcely extended at all to the land.

From King Alfred of England Makers of History by Abbott, Jacob

Hail! all hail! to the old sea king; to the mighty trader!

From The Life of a Celebrated Buccaneer A Page of Past History for the Use of the Children of To-day by Clynton, Richard

Meiris-haugr therefore might have been synonymous with the how, or tumulus of this fabulous sea king.

From Notice of Runic Inscriptions Discovered during Recent Excavations in the Orkneys by Farrer, James Anson

He was a worthy representative of the old Norse sea king, from whom he was descended, and his descent was shown in his great love of the sea.

From The Pilots of Pomona by Leighton, Robert

Among these naval adventurers “there was no one,” says Southey, “who took to the seas so much in the spirit of a northern sea king as the Earl of Cumberland.”

From The Sea: Its Stirring Story of Adventure, Peril, & Heroism. Volume 1 by Whymper, Frederick