berserk
UK[bəˈzɜːk]US[bərˈsɜːrk]
adj
wild, frenzied, and out of control, often with violent rage
n
a norse warrior who fought with a wild, frenzied fury
Etymology
the word 'berserk' is a loanword from old norse 'berserkr', the term for a legendary norse warrior. the old norse term is traditionally thought to be a compound of 'ber-' (meaning 'bear') and 'serkr' (meaning 'shirt' or 'coat'), thus literally 'bear-shirt', likely referring to warriors who wore bear pelts or fought with the ferocity of a bear. however, alternative etymologies exist, including a possible link to 'berr' (meaning 'bare'), suggesting fighting without armor. the modern english meaning evolved from describing these specific warriors to a general adjective for anyone exhibiting a similarly uncontrollable, violent frenzy.
Analysis
this word is a simplex loanword from old norse. it does not segment into meaningful morphemes based on its modern english spelling.
Examples
the crowd went berserk when their team scored the winning goal.
after hearing the news, he flew into a berserk rage and started throwing things.
in the saga, the berserk fought with such fury that he seemed immune to iron and fire.