Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- adjective Destructively or frenetically violent.
- adjective Mentally or emotionally upset; deranged.
- adjective Informal Unrestrained, as with enthusiasm or appetite; wild.
- noun One that is violent, upset, or unrestrained.
- noun A berserker.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun Same as
berserker .
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- adjective frenzied; crazed; usually in predicate position.
- noun (Scand. Myth.) One of a class of legendary heroes, who fought frenzied by intoxicating liquors, and naked, regardless of wounds.
- noun One who fights as if frenzied, like a Berserker.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun A crazed Norse
warrior who fought in a frenzy. - adjective Injuriously, maniacally, or furiously violent or out of control.
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun one of the ancient Norse warriors legendary for working themselves into a frenzy before a battle and fighting with reckless savagery and insane fury
- adjective frenzied as if possessed by a demon
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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"You know he's a Scot; men of that country are" - I tried to think of a good synonym for "berserk" - "most fierce where questions of their honor are concerned."
Dragonfly in Amber Gabaldon, Diana 1992
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Our expression going berserk pays homage to these warriors who, according to Fabing, ingested a psychoactive substance that put them into a state of frenzied rage, reckless courage, and enhanced physical strength.
The Serpent and the Rainbow Wade Davis 1985
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When one understands and fully appreciates this inner world of the post traumatic stress victim, it is easier to understand why a veteran can go "berserk" killing his family and then taking his own life.
Bryant Welch: Fort Hood: A Harbinger of Things to Come? 2009
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Britney Spears, apparently, as well, one of the big magazines saying that she went "berserk" at a photo shoot.
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"Bridezillas," by the way, is a WE (ph) TV show all about brides that go kind of berserk while planning their weddings.
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And what about your "berserk" episode on Bournemouth Station?
Disordered Minds Walters, Minette 2003
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Her arms came around him and he lifted her up, jammed her back against the bulkhead and, putting his mouth against the side of her neck, rammed into her with a kind of berserk fury.
Black Blade Lustbader, Eric Van 1992
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A US flight attendant who went "berserk" on a passenger and bailed out of his plane has quickly turned into something of a folk hero in the United States and around the world.
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Animals are going "berserk" as more and more of their land is taken over by humans and cattle eat their food.
Yahoo! News: Latest news headlines News Headlines | Top Stories 2010
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In June 2008 she was ordered to carry out 200 hours of community service for kicking and spitting at police officers after going "berserk" on an aircraft.
icHuddersfield 2010
Prolagus commented on the word berserk
In the queue for lunch they take the piss, you've got no appetite
And the rumour is you never go with boys and you are tight
So they jab you with a fork, you drop the tray and go berserk
While you're cleaning up the mess the teacher's looking up your skirt.
(Expectations, by Belle and Sebastian)
June 14, 2008
qroqqa commented on the word berserk
He neither knows himself nor his outriders, he berserks a fearful dimension and dismounts, miraculously, in bed!
—Djuna Barnes, Nightwood
A highly unusual use of 'berserk' as a verb. Note also the (to me somewhat strange) unbalanced placement of 'neither . . . nor'.
November 21, 2008
bilby commented on the word berserk
Backformation.
February 18, 2010