berserk

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for October 10, 2023 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>berserk</strong> &#149; \ber-SERK\&nbsp; &#149; <em>adjective</em><br /> <p><em>Berserk</em> generally means “markedly out of control due to intense anger or excitement.” It is often used in the phrase <em>go berserk</em>, which can mean either “to become very excited” or “to become very angry and often violent.” </p> <p>// The crowd went wild with <em>berserk</em> fans screaming as the main act finally hit the stage.</p> <p><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/berserk#h2">See the entry ></a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>“The actor made his nightly entrance at the Roxy from the lobby to the stage, belting out the signature tune. … ‘Tim’s entrance was phenomenal,’ recounts David Foster, the Grammy-winning composer and producer, who early in his career was the show’s pianist. ‘The place just went <em>berserk</em> because, of course, he was so much bigger than life.’” — Steve Appleford, <em>The Los Angeles Times</em>, 18 July 2023 </p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p>Combine a bear with a shirt and what do you get? A cuddly, honey-loving, <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ursine">ursine</a> pal, perhaps. Combine the words <em>bear</em> and <em>shirt</em> however, at least in Old Norse, and you get something quite different. Our English word <em>berserk</em> comes from the Old Norse noun <em>berserkr</em>, which is likely a combination of <em>ber-</em> (“bear”) and <em>serkr</em> (“shirt”). According to Norse legend, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/berserker">berserkers</a> were not ones to say “Oh bother” when faced with sticky situations—they were warriors who wore bearskin coverings and worked themselves into such frenzies during combat that they became immune to the effects of steel and fire. <em>Berserk</e