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vandal
7 dictionary results for: vandal
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
van·dal 
[van-dl] Pronunciation Key
[van-dl] Pronunciation Key –noun
–adjective
| 1. | (initial capital letter) a member of a Germanic people who in the 5th century a.d. ravaged Gaul and Spain, settled in Africa, and in a.d. 455 sacked Rome. |
| 2. | a person who willfully or ignorantly destroys or mars something beautiful or valuable. |
| 3. | (initial capital letter) of or pertaining to the Vandals. |
| 4. | imbued with or characterized by vandalism. |
[Origin: 1545–55; < LL Vandalus, Latinized tribal name]
]
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
| Van·dal
(vān'dl) Pronunciation Key
n.
[Latin Vandalus, Vandal, probably of Germanic origin.] Van·dal'ic (vān-dāl'ĭk) adj. |
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The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
vandal
vandal
1663, "willful destroyer of what is beautiful or venerable," from Vandals, name of Gmc. tribe that sacked Rome, 455, under Genseric, from L. Vandalus (pl. Vandali), from the tribe's name for itself (O.E. Wendlas), from P.Gmc. *Wandal- "Wanderer."
"There does not seem to be in the story of the capture of Rome by the Vandals any justification for the charge of willful and objectless destruction of public buildings which is implied in the word 'vandalism.' It is probable that this charge grew out of the fierce persecution which was carried on by [the Vandal king] Gaiseric and his son against the Catholic Christians, and which is the darkest stain on their characters." ["Encyclopedia Britannica," 13th ed., 1926]Vandalism is attested from 1798, from Fr. vandalisme, first used by Henri Grégoire, Bishop of Blois, c.1793. The verb vandalize is first recorded 1845.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
| vandal | |
noun | |
| 1. | someone who willfully destroys or defaces property |
| 2. | a member of the Germanic people who overran Gaul and Spain and North Africa and sacked Rome in 455 |
WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry: van·dal
Pronunciation: 'vand-&l
Function: noun
Etymology: Vandal, member of a Germanic tribe who sacked Rome in A.D. 455
: a person who willfully destroys, damages, or defaces property belonging to another or to the public
Main Entry: van·dal
Pronunciation: 'vand-&l
Function: noun
Etymology: Vandal, member of a Germanic tribe who sacked Rome in A.D. 455
: a person who willfully destroys, damages, or defaces property belonging to another or to the public
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Vandal
Van"dal\, n. [L. Vandalus, Vandalius; of Teutonic origin, and probably originally signifying, a wanderer. Cf. Wander.]1. (Anc. Hist.) One of a Teutonic race, formerly dwelling on the south shore of the Baltic, the most barbarous and fierce of the northern nations that plundered Rome in the 5th century, notorious for destroying the monuments of art and literature. 2. Hence, one who willfully destroys or defaces any work of art or literature. The Vandals of our isle, Sworn foes to sense and law. --Cowper.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Vandal
Van"dal\, Vandalic \Van*dal"ic\, a. Of or pertaining to the Vandals; resembling the Vandals in barbarism and destructiveness.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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