also: ヴァイキング
noun
Viking
Refers to the historical Norse seafarers/raiders. バイキング is the common spelling, while ヴァイキング is a more foreign-sounding alternative.
博物館でバイキングの船の模型を見た。
I saw a model of a Viking ship at the museum.
その映画はヴァイキングの戦士を描いている。
That film portrays Viking warriors.
noun
Only with reading バイキング
Japanese use, restricted to バイキング, especially for buffet-style meals; often overlaps with 食べ放題 when the emphasis is on all-you-can-eat service. It is an abbreviation related to バイキング料理.
See also: バイキング料理
朝食はホテルのバイキングだった。
Breakfast was a hotel buffet.
ランチバイキングで好きな料理を少しずつ取った。
At the lunch buffet, I took small portions of the dishes I liked.
noun
smorgasbord of things; hodgepodge; wide assortment
Only with reading バイキング
Figurative use, restricted to バイキング, for a mixed spread or wide range of non-food items. It sounds metaphorical and is less basic than the meal sense.
この雑誌は旅行、料理、投資の記事が並ぶ情報のバイキングだ。
This magazine is a smorgasbord of information, with articles on travel, cooking, and investing.
その店は中古品のバイキングみたいで、見るだけでも楽しい。
That shop is like a hodgepodge of used goods, and it is fun just to look around.