Antedating of "Viking"

[Dave Wilton]

I think we can antedate that by about 800 years.

>From "The Battle of Maldon" in BL Cotton Otho A. xii, probably written not
long after the battle itself, which was in 991, lines 25–26a:

"Þa stod on stæðe,     stiðlice clypode
wicinga ar."

(Then there stood on the bank, and fiercely called out
a messenger of the vikings.)

Ælfric, in his grammar, also glosses the Latin "pirata" as "wicing oððe
flotman" (viking or sailor).

There are lots of other Old English examples of the word.

Of course, it may not have been used much in the intervening centuries, but
I suspect that more searching will turn up interdatings.


-----Original Message-----
From: American Dialect Society [mailto:ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU] On Behalf Of
Shapiro, Fred
Sent: Tuesday, March 19, 2013 8:07 PM
To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Subject: Antedating of "Viking"

Viking (OED 1807)

1795 Thomas Pownall _An Antiquarian Romance_ 75 (Eighteenth Century
Collections Online)  These sea-rovers pursued their praedatory enterprizes,
each Vik, Vikin, or Vikinger, with one separate band, and in his own fleet.

Fred Shapiro

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