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Kraken

2 stages from Norwegian to English.

Today it means an enormous mythical sea monster said to appear off Norway

Where does the word "kraken" come from? It comes from Norwegian krake, adopted directly into English (1750s).

1
Stage 1 of 2
krake
Norwegian · 1700s
"twisted thing; sea monster"
a dialect word for a twisted, stunted thing; 'kraken' is its definite form, 'the kraken'
2
Stage 2 of 2
kraken
English · 1750s
"sea monster"
the bishop Erik Pontoppidan's 'Natural History of Norway' (1752) described it; Tennyson's poem 'The Kraken' followed in 1830
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Read the full story

Kraken’s story begins in Norwegian: krake meant “twisted thing; sea monster.” A dialect word for a twisted, stunted thing; 'kraken' is its definite form, 'the kraken'. It reached English by 1750s as kraken. The bishop Erik Pontoppidan's 'Natural History of Norway' (1752) described it; Tennyson's poem 'The Kraken' followed in 1830. Today, kraken means an enormous mythical sea monster said to appear off Norway.