Varangian

American  

[vuh-ran-jee-uhn] / vəˈræn dʒi ən /

noun

1. any of the Northmen who, under Rurik, established a dynasty in Russia in the 9th century.

2. a member of the bodyguard Varangian guard of the Byzantine emperors, especially in the 11th and 12th centuries, made up of Northmen, Anglo-Saxons, and other northern Europeans.

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adjective

1. of or relating to the Varangians.

Varangian British  

/ vəˈrændʒɪən /

noun

1. one of the Scandinavian peoples who invaded and settled parts of Russia and Ukraine from the 8th to the 11th centuries, and who formed the bodyguard of the Byzantine emperor ( Varangian Guard ) in the late 10th and 11th centuries

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adjective

1. of or relating to the Varangians

Etymology

Origin of Varangian

C18: from Medieval Latin Varangus, from Medieval Greek Barangos, from Old Norse Væringi, probably from vār pledge

Example Sentences

Hollway devotes half his book to Harald’s adventures and machinations during the decade he spent with the Varangian Guard.

From Washington Post • Sep. 21, 2021

Eleventh-century illustration of the Varangian Guard, the personal bodyguards of the Byzantine emperors starting in the tenth century.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2020

The real ruler of Russia was Czar Fedor's brother-in-law, Boris Godunov, and when Fedor died childless in 1598, the dynasty that traced its origins back to the Varangian Rurik came to an end.

From Time Magazine Archive

“He’s a Varangian horse, so he has a Varangian name.”

From Anya and the Nightingale by Sofiya Pasternack

Anya heard her mother scream her name, but Anya had to focus on the Varangian before her, or she was going to lose every last bit of her nerve and collapse to the ground.

From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack