berserk

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.^[1][2] 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”),^[2] referring to warriors who went into battle without armour, but this is now thought unlikely.^[3] Doublet of berserker.

The adjective is derived from the noun.^[1]

The verb might partly be a back-formation from berserker, analyzed as containing the suffix -er.

• Noun:
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈbɜːsɜːk/
  • (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈbɚˌsɚk/
• Adjective:
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /bəˈzɜːk/, /bɜː-/, /-ˈsɜːk/

  • Audio (Southern England):

    (file)

  • (General American) IPA^(key): /bɚˈsɚk/, /-ˈzɚk/
  • (General American, r-dissimilation) IPA^(key): /bəˈsɚk/, /-ˈzɚk/
  • Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)k
• Hyphenation: ber‧serk

berserk (plural berserks)

1. (historical) Synonym of berserker (“a Norse warrior who fought in a frenzy”)
   • 1848, [Charles Kingsley], “New Actors, and a New Stage”, in Yeast: A Problem. […], London: John W[illiam] Parker, […], published 1851, →OCLC, page 40:

     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.

   • 1912, Arthur Conan Doyle, “‘‘Question!’’”, in The Lost World […], London; New York, N.Y.: Hodder and Stoughton, →OCLC, page 76:

     The Professor, with his face flushed, his nostrils dilated, and his beard bristling, was now in a proper Berserk mood.

• beserk, berzerk

• beresque (Australian, jocular)

• Úlfhéðinn

berserk (comparative more berserk, superlative most berserk)

1. Furiously, injuriously, or maniacally violent or out of control.

   After seeing his sister stabbed to death, he went berserk and attacked the killer like a wild animal.

   • 1908 (date written), Rudyard Kipling, “Regulus”, in A Diversity of Creatures, London: Macmillan and Co., […], published 1917, →OCLC, page 264:

     '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.

2. (by extension)
   1. Bizarre; weird.
      • 2017 June 26, Alexis Petridis, “Glastonbury 2017 verdict: Radiohead, Foo Fighters, Lorde, Stormzy and more”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian‎^[1], London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 30 March 2022:

        [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.

   2. (rare, dialectal, slang) Wildly joyous; ecstatic.

      Synonyms: see Thesaurus:happy

      Antonyms: see Thesaurus:unhappy

      • 2021 October 12, Jamie Lyall, “Faroe Islands 0 – 1 Scotland”, in BBC Sport‎^[2], archived from the original on 24 July 2022:

        In amongst the strife, Scott McTominay, whose stoppage-time winner against Israel sent Hampden berserk, and Ryan Christie offered signs of an attacking pulse.

• amok

berserk (third-person singular simple present berserks, present participle berserking, simple past and past participle berserked)

1. (intransitive) To be or become berserk.

   Synonym: go berserk

   • 1899 April, G[ranville] Stanley Hall, “A Study of Anger”, in The American Journal of Psychology, volume X, number 3, Worcester, Mass.: Clark University, […] Louis N. Wilson, […], page 522:

     When great champions went berserking and were angry, they lost their human nature and went mad like dogs.

   • 1958 December, Finn O’Donnevan [pseudonym; Robert Sheckley], “Join Now”, in Galaxy Magazine, volume 17, number 2, New York, N.Y.: Galaxy Publishing Corporation, page 28, column 1:

     I suppose losing one hand made Stack especially sensitive to the possible loss of another. The wound was superficial, but he berserked. He killed the native with a riot gun, then turned it on the rest of them. A lieutenant had to bludgeon him into unconsciousness before he could be stopped.

   • 1959, Francis Leary, “Rene and Marguerite d’Anjou: the tragic geste”, in The Golden Longing, London: John Murray […], published 1960, page 186:

     The oncoming horde berserked through the mine field, York field pieces going off in all directions.

   • 1966, Robert Hayden, “Electrical Storm”, in Selected Poems, New York, N.Y.: October House Inc., →LCCN, page 13:

     Last night we drove through suddenly warring weather. Wind and lightning havocked, berserked in wires, trees.

   • 1980, Krishna Srinivas, Winds, Madras: Poets Press India, →OCLC, page 59:

     You grew cool faster when danger lurked, / Yeah, learned a new yearn when senses berserked.

   • 1986, Piers Anthony, “Revolt”, in Wielding a Red Sword (Incarnations of Immortality; book four), New York, N.Y.: Del Rey Books, →ISBN, page 246:

     But the blood was in Mym’s mouth, and his berserker rage was coming upon him. No mortal man could match the reflexes and power of a berserker; the fact that Mym’s rage was controlled did not change that. “Isn’t that quaint,” Satan said. “He berserks. Perhaps this will be at least minimally entertaining.” He thrust with the spear again, and Mym dodged aside again, but the miss was narrow.

   • 1996, Sarah Harrison, Life after Lunch, London: Sceptre, →ISBN, page 9:

     The American held his serve to love, and by way of a flourish sent one of the balls up to his opponent with a courtesy ace. He followed this with a pretended prayer of thanks and a self-deprecating gesture. The crowd berserked. The camera, sneaking another quick look at the chanteuse, was rewarded with the flicker of a smile.

   • 2001, Robin D. Owens, HeartMate, New York, N.Y.: Jove Books, →ISBN, page 153:

     The vengeance stalk flashed, more fighting. Rage unleashed until he berserked. The cold FirstFamilies Guildhall. Judging eyes. Pride. Anger. Triumph.

   • 2002, Pamela Kaufman, The Book of Eleanor: A Novel of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Three Rivers Press, →ISBN, page 240:

     “His enemy was France, but he destroyed his own people to be certain of their allegiance. I watched him charge against a helpless countryside. He berserks, slashes, burns—oh, he’s formidable when he wants a piece of ground. Now he covets Aquitaine.”

   • 2009, Janice Josephine Carney, “My Darkness”, in Mantras from the Great Void, Xlibris, →ISBN:

     I berserked / on my loving dog’s / puppies / Poor Molly / I killed her babies / […] / I berserked in New Hampshire / axing my children’s / chickens to death / in a complete rage / I went berserk / and attacked / the chicken coop

   • 2011, John Trevillian, The A-Men Return, Matador, →ISBN, page 35:

     First I see of the Wasters is when they berserk through the rubble.

   • 2012, Claire Sisco King, “Unhinged Heroes and Alpha Traumas”, in Washed in Blood: Male Sacrifice, Trauma, and the Cinema, New Brunswick, N.J., London: Rutgers University Press, →ISBN, page 51:

     For example, one year after Omega Man’s release Welcome Home, Soldier Boys (Richard Compton, 1972) depicts scenes of soldiers “berserking,” and Skyjacked (John Guillermin, 1972) pits an airline pilot (played by Heston as well) against a berserk Vietnam veteran hijacking a commercial airplane.

   • 2014, Mya Lairis, A Guardian’s Passion, Loose Id LLC / Lightning Source, Inc., published 2015, →ISBN, page 158:

     She came to a stop before Vaegar and Gaea, eyes darting to Fenris. “I’m sorry. Am I disturbing something? Were you about to berserk the fuck out?” she asked just as casually as she would inquire about the weather.

   • 2017, Christina Phillips, Hooked, Entangled Publishing, LLC, →ISBN:

     “I was expecting an ax-wielding berserker at the very least.” “You would,” Grace retorts, but she’s trying not to laugh. “I only berserk on Sundays.” Charity chokes on her cocktail, and Grace leans over and pats her back. “You don’t berserk at all.”

   • 2020, JD Erickson, The Adventures of the Few and Sometimes Stan, AuthorHouse, →ISBN:

     Billy was by all accounts to be a Viking. Six feet four inches tall with a blond beard down to his chest, blue grey eyes that seem to never blink when looking at you. Billy was ready to berserk on a moment’s notice and people sensed it.

   • 2020, Trish Brown, The Girl in the Mirror, Dorrance Publishing Co, →ISBN, page 139:

     He loves toying with his victims before he mutilates them. He berserks out when there’s copious amounts of blood.

   • 2023, David Bowles, Guadalupe García McCall, Secret of the Moon Conch, Bloomsbury YA, →ISBN:

     Defying musket and cannon blast, they berserk preemptively against the Tlaxcaltecah.

2. (transitive) To make berserk.
   • 1937, Djuna Barnes, Nightwood, New Directions Publishing, published 2006, →ISBN, page 87:

     He neither knows himself nor his outriders; he berserks a fearful dimension and dismounts, miraculously, in bed!

   • 1981, Roy Bennett, Images of Summer, Sutton, Surrey: Hippopotamus Press, →ISBN, page 76:

     O holy Virgin, whereabout / Were you when all the swinish rout / Berserked the town? Those legions of the dead / Move only at the lash of lust. / Pray for us, or we die to trust— / Charred matchwood cursing Christ, who also bled.

   • 2007, Jeff Weddle, Bohemian New Orleans: The Story of the Outsider and Loujon Press, University Press of Mississippi, →ISBN, page 148:

     After a quote from Miller, calling Bukowski the “poet satyr of today’s underground,” and another from Bukowski, “Sexual intercourse is kicking death in the ass while singing,” Jon worked to lure an audience to see the “world famous poet, critic and storyteller whose Notes of a Dirty Old Man so far has sold 250,000 copies & whose All the Assholes in the World & Mine berserked the establishment to billy-club screams of outrage.”

   • 2016, Bravely Second: End Layer, Strategy Guide, Gamer Guides, →ISBN:

     It can use Slash to physically attack one character or Wrath to berserk the party.

•   Berserker on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
• berserk, berserker, beserk at the Google Books Ngram Viewer.
• “berserk”, in OneLook Dictionary Search.

• Kerbers

• berserkr

• IPA^(key): [ˈbɛrsɛrk]

berserk m anim

1. berserk

• “berserk”, in Příruční slovník jazyka českého (in Czech), 1935–1957
• “berserk”, in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého (in Czech), 1960–1971, 1989

Borrowed from Old Norse berserkr.

• IPA^(key): /bɛʁ.zɛʁk/

berserk m (plural berserks)

1. (historical) berserk, berserker (frenzied Norse warrior)

Learned borrowing from Old Norse berserkr.

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɛr.sɛrk/
• Rhymes: -ɛrsɛrk
• Syllabification: ber‧serk

berserk m pers

1. (historical, Norse mythology) berserker (Norse warrior who purportedly fought in a trance-like frenzy)

• berserk in Polish dictionaries at PWN
• berserkowie in PWN's encyclopedia