🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <2A75F9D4.4005@noiro.acs.uci.edu> cortese@skid.ps.uci.edu (Janis Maria Cortese) writes:
>In article <3978@novavax.UUCP> vaccaro@novavax.UUCP (N. Trafford Vaccaro) writes:
>>Referring to the above subject line, does anyone know the origin of the
>>word "Viking"? My dictionary is inadequate in this area. Thanks!
>>
>>
>>Nicholas Vaccaro
>
>This may be the kind of post that grates on your nerves like nails on a
>blackcoard, BUT . . .
>
>I think it came from the gerund form of a verb that meant "to plunder,"
>meaning "those who go viking."  I do not, however (hence the source of
>the frustration) have a reference.
>
>Regards,
>Janis C.

The Vikings called themselves Vikings (Vikingr). Therefore, if
your proposed etymology were correct, there would have to be
a word in Old Norse that had the "vik" root and meant "to plunder";
the Vikings would have had to consider themselves plunderers; and
they would have had to consider themselves plunderers _before_
they embarked on their extensive raids. Not too likely, I'd day.

As far as I know, no one knows the etymology of this word. The two
speculations I've seen are: from Scandinavian "vik" (small bay, cove,
inlet); from Old English "wic" (encampment). I can't think why
the Vikings would have borrowed their name for themselves from the
Old-English-speakers.

Maybe someone who knows Old Norse or Icelandic and is up on
linguistic research can supply a better answer.
-- 
Roger Greenwald
Greenwald@hf.uib.no (address valid only until 10 August 1992)