1117: norman Dec 30, 2017

Old English, and English in general, has had a lot of influence from Old Norse, but far more influential in the development of English was far more significantly affected by Norman French. Still, the Normans themselves were greatly influenced by—if not as much Old Norse—the speakers of Old Norse, which is to say the Vikings, a.k.a. the Northmen or the Norse men. It is from this phrase, in fact, that not only Norway got its name, but also ‘Norman’ came to be at all. To be more specific, the Old French ‘Normant’ is derived from the Old Norse ‘Northmathr’ meaning ‘Northman’. This happened when the Viking, Rollo became the duke of Normandy; his grandson was Guillome (William) the Conqueror.

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