Which word is an example of a Norse lexical borrowing into English?

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Multiple Choice

Which word is an example of a Norse lexical borrowing into English?

Explanation:
Norse influence on English shows up in everyday vocabulary through borrowings from contact with Norse speakers during the Viking era. The word they comes from Old Norse þeir and entered English as the standard plural third-person pronoun, becoming the form we use today. This makes it a clear example of a Norse loanword, since its origin lies in Norse rather than Latin or French. The other options come from French, not Norse—beef from French boeuf, curtain from French, and bicycle ultimately via French, which is why they don’t illustrate Norse borrowing.

Norse influence on English shows up in everyday vocabulary through borrowings from contact with Norse speakers during the Viking era. The word they comes from Old Norse þeir and entered English as the standard plural third-person pronoun, becoming the form we use today. This makes it a clear example of a Norse loanword, since its origin lies in Norse rather than Latin or French. The other options come from French, not Norse—beef from French boeuf, curtain from French, and bicycle ultimately via French, which is why they don’t illustrate Norse borrowing.

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