Berserk: violently or frenetically destructive; wildly destructive

To go berserk is to have a fit of destructive rage.  

Berserk came into English from Old Norse.  In Old Norse, a berserkr was a raging warrior.  The Norse word is likely a combination of ber (bear) and serkr (shirt).  A berserkr then was “a bearskin-clad warrior”.   

Sir Walter Scott introduced the word to the English-speaking world in his book “The Pirate” published in 1822.  

Synonyms include: mad, insane, crazy, demented, and deranged

“If you want to win anything – a race, your self, your life – you have to go a little berserk.”  – George Sheehan

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