vocabularyVOCABULARY


A list of English Words from Old Norse


This is a list of English words from Old Norse - the language of the Vikings

The impact of the Vikings on the British culture is undeniable. For instance, a significant influence on the shaping of Old English came from the contact with the Old Norse language spoken by the Scandinavian Vikings who conquered and colonized parts of Britain during the 8th and 9th centuries. This enriched the English language through a lot of lexical borrowing and grammatical simplification.

The following is a list of English words from Old Norse, the language spoken by the Vikings.

17 English words that come from Old Norse

1. anger

A strong feeling of displeasure, hostility or antagonism towards someone or something, usually combined with an urge to harm.

From Old Norse angr, ǫngr (“affliction, sorrow”)

Example:

You need to control your anger.

2. bag

A flexible container made of cloth, paper, plastic, etc.

From Old Norse baggi

Example:

She put her school things in her bag and left the classroom.

3. birth

The process of childbearing; the beginning of lif;, a beginning or start; a point of origin.

From Old Norse burðr, byrd

Example:

The birth of two beautiful babies.

4. cake

A rich, sweet dessert food, typically made of flour, sugar and eggs and baked in an oven, and often covered in icing.

From Old Norse kaka.

Example:

She bought a birthday cake.

5. die

To stop living; to become dead.

Example:

He died from heart failure.

6. egg

An approximately spherical or ellipsoidal body produced by birds, reptiles, insects and other animals, housing the embryo during its development.

From Old Norse egg

Example:

The farmer offered me some fresh eggs.

7. fog

A thick cloud that forms near the ground; the obscurity of such a cloud.

From Danish fog.

Example:

He was blinded by a dense fog.

8. get

To obtain; to acquire.

From Old Norse geta.

I'm going to get a computer tomorrow from the discount store.

9. husband

The master of a house; the head of a family; the opposite of wife.

From Old Norse húsbóndi

Example:

You should find a suitable husband.

10. knife

A utensil or a tool designed for cutting.

From Old Norse knífr.

Example:

Cut the bread with a knife.

11. mistake

To understand wrongly, taking one thing or person for another; to commit an unintentional error; to do or think something wrong.

From Old Norse mistaka

Example:

Don't mistake my kindness for weakness.

12. raise

To cause to rise; to lift or elevate

From Old Norse reisa.

Example:

Please,raise your hand if you want to say something.

13. skirt

An article of clothing, usually worn by women and girls, that hangs from the waist and covers the lower part of the body.

From Old Norse skyrta

Example:

She was wearing a beautiful skirt when I first met her.

14. slaughter

The killing of animals, generally for food; ritual slaughter.

From Old Norse slátr.

Example:

To slaughter animal.

15. tight

Firmly held together; compact; not loose or open.

From Old Norse þéttr.

Example:

tight cloth; a tight knot.

16. ugly

Displeasing to the eye; not aesthetically pleasing.

From Old Norse uggligr.

Example:

An ugly old witch.

17. window

An opening, usually covered by one or more panes of clear glass, to allow light and air from outside to enter a building or vehicle.

From Old Norse vindauga

Example:

Please, open the window.

English words from Old Norse Origin

For a complete list click the following link:

Wikipedia: List of English words of Old Norse origin

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