English Explanatory Dictionary

wander

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To move without purpose or specified destination; often in search of livelihood.
  2. To stray; stray from one's course; err.
  3. To commit adultery.
  4. To go somewhere indirectly or at varying speeds; to move in a curved path.
  5. Of the mind, to lose focus or clarity of argument or attention.
noun
  1. An act or instance of wandering.
  2. Deviation from a correct or normal value.
name
  1. A surname.

Pronunciation

/ˈwɒndə/ /ˈwɑndɚ/ /ˈwʊndə/ /ˈwʌndə/ en-us-wander.ogg

Word forms

wander wanders wandering wandered

Etymology

From Middle English wandren, from Old English wandrian (“to wander, roam, fly around, hover; change; stray, err”), from Proto-West Germanic *wandarōn (“to wander”), from *wandōn (“to turn, change”) + *-rōn (frequentative suffix). Cognate with Scots wander (“to wander”), German wandern (“to wander, roam, hike, migrate”), Dutch wandelen (“to wander, roam, hike, migrate”), Danish vandre (“to wander, roam, hike, migrate”), Swedish vandra (“to wander, hike”).

Synonyms

err roam cheat drift distract scatter

Derived words

bewander Brazilian wandering spider forwander inwander miswander wanderer wandering spleen wandering star wandering whistling duck wandering womb wanderlust wander off wanderstar

Translations

Khiamniungan Naga: ūo
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