berserk
/ˈbɚˌsɚk/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.01 in modern English
13
Scrabble Score
7
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Furiously, injuriously, or maniacally violent or out of control.
Example Sentences
- "She had heard of his profligacy, his bursts of fierce Berserk-madness; and yet now these very faults, instead of repelling, seemed to attract her, and intensify her longing to save him."
- "The Professor, with his face flushed, his nostrils dilated, and his beard bristling, was now in a proper Berserk mood."
- "After seeing his sister stabbed to death, he went berserk and attacked the killer like a wild animal."
- "'You went Berserk. I've read all about it in Hypatia.' […] 'You've gone Berserk and pretty soon you'll go to sleep. But you'll probably be liable to fits of it all your life,' Beetle concluded."
- "[T]he writer conjured up a dystopian fantasy more berserk than anything you might find yourself listening to in the small hours at the Stone Circle."
- "In amongst the strife, Scott McTominay, whose stoppage-time winner against Israel sent Hampden berserk, and Ryan Christie offered signs of an attacking pulse."
Etymology
The noun is borrowed from Old Norse berserkr (“Norse warrior who fights in a frenzy”), probably from bjǫrn (“bear”) + serkr (“coat; shirt”), referring to the bearskins which the warriors wore. 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”), referring to warriors who went into battle without armour, but this is now thought unlikely. Doublet of berserker. The adjective is derived from the noun. The verb might partly be a back-formation from berserker, analyzed as containing the suffix -er. Cognates * Danish bersærk * Icelandic berserkur * Norwegian Bokmål berserk * Norwegian Nynorsk berserk * Swedish bärsärk
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈbɚˌsɚk/
- British English: /ˈbɜːsɜːk/
Usage
Inflected Forms
berserks (plural)
beserk (alternative)
berzerk (alternative)
more berserk (comparative)
most berserk (superlative)
berserks (present, singular)
berserking (participle, present)
berserked (participle, past)
berserked (past)
Derived Forms
Phrases
Frequently Paired Words
ulfheðinn
amok