vík

vík is a noun in Icelandic and Faroese meaning bay or inlet. In other North Germanic languages, related forms such as vik or vig appear in place names and geographic terms, generally referring to a coastal indentation. The term is commonly used as a toponymic element in Nordic languages, and in Icelandic it can appear as a standalone name or as part of compound names.

Etymology and usage: vík comes from Old Norse víkr, meaning a coastal inlet. In modern Icelandic and Faroese, the word retains that meaning and is used to describe a geographic feature as well as to form place names. In Norwegian and other Nordic languages, cognate forms such as vik are used similarly in toponyms to denote bays or inlets.

Notable examples: Vík í Mýrdal is a well-known Icelandic village on the south coast of Iceland, located along Route 1 near the Reynisfjara black-sand beach and the Reynisdrangar sea stacks. The name illustrates the basic sense of the term, indicating a settlement near a bay.

Distribution and toponymy: The element vík or vik is a common component in Nordic place names, reflecting the geographic feature of a coastal bay or inlet. It appears in various combinations and can be found in Icelandic, Faroese, and other Nordic toponyms, sometimes with regional spellings or diacritics.

See also: Vik (disambiguation).