c. 1200, "an inhabitant of Normandy; one of the mixed Scandinavian-Frankish people who conquered England in 1066," late Old English, from Old French Normanz, plural of Normand, Normant, literally "North man," from a Scandinavian word meaning "northman" (see Norse), in reference to the Scandinavian warriors who overran and occupied the region of France south of the English Channel in 10c. and largely adopted the customs and language of the French.

As an adjective from 1580s. As the name for a round-arched style of medieval architecture developed in Normandy and employed in England after the conquest, it is attested from 1797. Norseman "a native of ancient Scandinavia" (1817) is not historical and appears to owe its existence to Scott. Norman-French for "the form of French spoken by the medieval Normans (and preserved until modern times in English law)" is from c. 1600.

1767, "pertaining to the Normans who settled in England," from Anglo- + Norman. As a noun, 1735; from 1801 as "the Norman dialect of Old French as spoken and developed in England."

a part of France bordering the English Channel and settled by Vikings, early 14c., Normandie, from Old French, from Normand (see Norman).

12c. in Anglo-Norman, a Germanic-Celtic hybrid, with land (n.) + Celtic Eriu (see Irish (n.)).

"courageous, masculine," 1959, first attested in Norman Mailer (writing of Truman Capote); see balls + -y (2). Related: Ballsiness.

"gaseous envelope around the sun," 1868, coined by English astronomer Sir Joseph Norman Lockyer (1836-1920), from chromo-, from Greek khrōma "color" (see chroma) + sphere. So called for its redness. Related: Chromospheric.

enriched type of French bread, 1824, from French brioche (15c.), from brier "to knead the dough," Norman form of broyer "to grind, pound," from Proto-Germanic *brekan "to break" (from PIE root *bhreg- "to break"). It is attested by 1840 as "round or stuffed cushion for the feet to rest on."

1928 (n.) "tough guy," from Spanish macho "male animal," noun use of adjective meaning "masculine, virile," from Latin masculus (see masculine). As an adjective, "ostensibly manly and virile," attested in English by 1959 (Norman Mailer).

"wandering minstrel of medieval times," 1779, a revival in a technical sense (by modern historians and novelists) of Norman-French jongleur, a variant of Old French jogleor "minstrel, itinerant player; joker, juggler, clown" (12c.), from Latin ioculator "jester, joker" (see juggler).