viking

viking — noun

1. a member of the Norse people from Scandinavia who sailed across the seas to raid

1.nounB1
Definition

a member of the Norse people from Scandinavia who sailed across the seas to raid, trade, and settle in many parts of Europe during the early Middle Ages

Example

Viking ships were both light enough for rivers and sturdy enough for the Atlantic.

collocation: Viking ships

The Vikings raided monasteries along the coast of England and Ireland during the 8th century.

usually plural: the Vikings

Common collocations
  • Viking ship
  • Viking raid
  • Viking warrior
  • Viking settlement
  • Viking age
  • Viking history
  • Viking culture
  • Viking longhouse
Synonyms
  • Norseman

    More neutral historical term focusing on origin rather than raiding activity; less commonly used in everyday English

  • Norse

    Usually an adjective; as a noun it refers more broadly to the people and their language/culture, not specifically the raiders

  • Scandinavian

    Much broader term covering modern people from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland; not specific to the medieval period

Grammar Patterns

the Vikings (plural referring to the people)

a Viking (single person)

Usage Note

Usually used in the plural form 'the Vikings' when referring to the people as a whole. Often capitalized in modern English, though some writers use lowercase 'viking' as a common noun for individual raiders.

Common Mistakes

The Vikings are modern Swedish people.
The Vikings were a historical people from Scandinavia who lived over a thousand years ago.
Modern Scandinavians are not Vikings; the term refers specifically to people of the 8th–11th centuries.
Vikings only raided and stole things.
Vikings were also traders and settlers who built communities in places like Iceland and Normandy.
Raiding was part of Viking activity, but they also established farms, trading routes, and permanent settlements.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Viking' is the most specific term, referring to the Scandinavian seafarers who raided and settled across Europe from the 8th to 11th centuries. 'Norseman' (plural 'Norsemen') emphasizes geographic origin (north) rather than maritime raiding, and is more common in historical writing than everyday speech. 'Norse' is primarily an adjective ('Norse mythology', 'Norse culture') but can serve as a collective noun for the people; it casts a wider net that includes language and mythology alongside the people themselves. 'Scandinavian' is the broadest term, covering modern inhabitants of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland as well as their historical ancestors — a modern Oslo resident is Scandinavian but not a Viking. In practice, say 'Viking' when you mean the medieval raiders and settlers, 'Norse' for their culture and mythology, and 'Scandinavian' for anything related to the Nordic region across any time period.

Viking ↗NorsemanNorseScandinavian

Common collocations

Phrases

  • Viking ship
  • Viking raid
  • Viking settlement
  • Viking age
  • Viking warrior
  • Viking longhouse
  • Viking history
  • Viking culture

Etymology

Old NorseEnglish

The word 'Viking' comes from the Old Norse word 'vikingr', which likely traces back to 'vík' meaning 'inlet' or 'fjord' (a narrow arm of the sea). The suffix '-ingr' means 'one who belongs to' or 'one who frequents', so a 'vikingr' was literally 'a person who frequents the fjords' — someone who lived by the sea and travelled by ship. The term entered English during the 18th and 19th centuries, when Romantic-era writers and historians revived interest in the medieval Norse world.