Where does “berserkr” come from?

berserkr (Old Norse) comes from Old Norse serkr, from Proto-Germanic sarkiz, from Proto-Indo-European swerg-, from Proto-Indo-European sēr-, from Proto-Indo-European ser- — to flow; to guard; to bind, to tie together.

berserkr (Old Norse): a Scandinavian warrior; a raging warrior of...

Definitions

  1. a Scandinavian warrior; a raging warrior of...

Ancestry of “berserkr”, step by step

berserkr traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old Norse serkr

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old NorseserkrA shirt
2Proto-Germanicsarkizsark, shirt; coat of mail
3Proto-Indo-Europeanswerg-—
4Proto-Indo-Europeansēr-to flow
5Proto-Indo-Europeanser-to flow; to guard; to bind, to tie together

via Old Norse Bjǫrn

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old NorseBjǫrnbear (animal)
2Proto-Germanicbernuzbear

Words derived from “berserkr”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ser- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European sēr- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European swerg- →