Viking
- any of the Scandinavian pirates who plundered the coasts of Europe from the 8th to 10th centuries.
- a sea-roving bandit; pirate.
- a Scandinavian.
- U.S. Aerospace. one of a series of space probes that obtained scientific information about Mars.
Origin of Viking
Examples from the Web for vikings
Contemporary Examples
Part of that lies in the paucity of documentation of what the Vikings actually did during their raids.
One of the reasons the Vikings are viewed so negatively is that their violence could seem wanton or irrational.
More importantly, contends Winroth, the Vikings were acting completely rationally with their raids.
Not only are the Vikings completely misunderstood, he argues, but they may have saved Europe.
Those riches did not disappear, as the Vikings were well integrated in the European trade network.
Historical Examples
They had another name, Vikings, which was their word for sea-rovers.
Introductory American HistoryHenry Eldridge Bourne
Everybody seemed to be trying to grab what he could and let the Vikings be blamed for it.
Space VikingHenry Beam Piper
These vikings had brought their old courage to their new homes.
Viking TalesJennie Hall
Here the vikings hid when they saw King Harald's ships coming.
Viking TalesJennie Hall
Every summer King Harald had out his ships and men and hunted these vikings.
Viking TalesJennie Hall
Viking
- Also called: Norseman, Northman any of the Danes, Norwegians, and Swedes who raided by sea most of N and W Europe from the 8th to the 11th centuries, later often settling, as in parts of Britain
- any sea rover, plunderer, or pirate
- either of two unmanned American spacecraft that reached Mars in 1976
- (modifier) of, relating to, or characteristic of a Viking or Vikingsa Viking ship
Word Origin
Word Origin and History for vikings
Viking
n.
Scandinavian pirate, 1807, vikingr; modern spelling attested from 1840. The word is a historical revival; it was not used in Middle English, but it was revived from Old Norse vikingr "freebooter, sea-rover, pirate, viking," which usually is explained as meaning properly "one who came from the fjords," from vik "creek, inlet, small bay" (cf. Old English wic, Middle High German wich "bay," and second element in Reykjavik). But Old English wicing and Old Frisian wizing are almost 300 years older, and probably derive from wic "village, camp" (temporary camps were a feature of the Viking raids), related to Latin vicus "village, habitation" (see villa).
The connection between the Norse and Old English words is still much debated. The period of Viking activity was roughly 8c. to 11c. In the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, the raiding armies generally were referred to as þa Deniscan "the Danes," while those who settled in England were identified by their place of settlement. Old Norse viking (n.) meant "freebooting voyage, piracy;" one would "go on a viking."
Vikings
Warriors from Scandinavia who raided much of coastal Europe in the eighth to tenth centuries. The Vikings traveled in boats with high bows and sterns, carefully designed for either rough seas or calm waters. Eventually some Vikings settled in the countries they plundered and established new societies.