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Added 10 October 2026

berserker

/ˈbɜːsɜːkə/ noun

noun Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about berserker at Wordnik → Where our words come from →

A Norse warrior who purportedly fought in a trance-like frenzy; a berserk.
: One who fights as if frenzied, like a berserker. A type of von Neumann probe whose mission is to exterminate alien lifeforms.
One who fights as if frenzied, like a berserker.

Origin

Borrowed from Old Norse berserkr (“Norse warrior who fights with frenzy”), probably from bjǫrn (“bear”) + serkr (“coat; shirt”), referring to the bearskins worn by the warriors. Bjǫrn is possibly ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerH- (“brown”); and serkr from Proto-Indo-European *ser- (“to bind, tie together; thread”). Alternatively, it has been suggested that the first element of the word is from berr (“bare, naked”), suggesting warriors who went into battle without armour, but this is now thought unlikely. Doublet of berserk.

From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)

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