valkyrie

See also: Valkyrie

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

Borrowed from Old Norse valkyrja (“chooser of the slain”, singular), plural valkyrjur (plural), either from Germanic roots equivalent to, or formed in Norse from, the elements valr (“the slain”) + kjósa (“to choose”). Cognate to Old English wælcyrge. First attested in English as a proper noun (Valkyries) in the 1770s; attested as a common noun (valkyries) since the 1880s.

Pronunciation

  • (UK, US) IPA(key): /ˈvælˌkɪ.ɹi/
  • Audio (US)(file)

Noun

valkyrie (plural valkyries)

  1. (Norse mythology) Any of the female attendants of Odin, figures said to guide fallen warriors from the battlefield to Valhalla.
    Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen (published 1853) famously features valkyries.

Translations

Danish

Etymology

From Old Norse valkyrja.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /valkyːriə/, [valˈkʰyɐ̯ˀiə]

Noun

valkyrie c (singular definite valkyrien, plural indefinite valkyrier)

  1. valkyrie
  2. fury, virago (a large, strong, courageous or aggressive woman)

Inflection

Further reading

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