October 15, 2012
- berserk (adjective)
- What does it mean?
- : gone out of control : crazy, amok
- How do you use it?
- When Matt couldn't find his lucky socks for the big game, he went berserk, emptying his drawers, rummaging through laundry, and running all over the house shouting.
- Are you a word wiz?
English borrowed "berserk" from another language. What language do you think gave us "berserk"?Old Norse sagas told of a class of warriors called "berserkrs" who could work themselves up into such a frenzy during battle that they were said to be able to withstand fire or steel. The word "berserkr" is a combination of "ber-," presumed to mean "bear," and "sakr," meaning "shirt." Originally the "bear-shirt" probably referred to a man dressed in a garment representing a bear who entered into a trancelike state in which he magically assumed the powers of a bear. The legend of the frenzied "berserkrs" gave us our word "berserk" to mean "out of control."