wander - Wikiwand

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”).

Pronunciation

(Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈwɒndə/
(General American) IPA^(key): /ˈwɑndɚ/
IPA^(key): (West Midlands, especially Birmingham) /ˈwʊndə/, /ˈwʌndə/
Audio (General American): (file)
Rhymes: -ɒndə(ɹ)
Hyphenation: wan‧der

Verb

wander (third-person singular simple present wanders, present participle wandering, simple past and past participle wandered)

(intransitive) To move without purpose or specified destination; often in search of livelihood.
Synonyms: err, roam

to wander over the fields
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Hebrews 11:37:
  They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins.
- 1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter IX, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:
  “A tight little craft,” was Austin’s invariable comment on the matron; […]. ¶ Near her wandered her husband, orientally bland, invariably affable, and from time to time squinting sideways, as usual, in the ever-renewed expectation that he might catch a glimpse of his stiff, retroussé moustache.
- 1915, G[eorge] A. Birmingham [pseudonym; James Owen Hannay], chapter I, in Gossamer, New York, N.Y.: George H. Doran Company, →OCLC:
  There is an hour or two, after the passengers have embarked, which is disquieting and fussy. […] Stewards, carrying cabin trunks, swarm in the corridors. Passengers wander restlessly about or hurry, with futile energy, from place to place.
(intransitive) To stray; stray from one's course; err.
A writer wanders from his subject.
- 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Psalms cxix:10:
  O, let me not wander from thy commandments.
(intransitive) To commit adultery.
Synonym: cheat
(intransitive) To go somewhere indirectly or at varying speeds; to move in a curved path.
Synonym: drift
(intransitive) Of the mind, to lose focus or clarity of argument or attention.
Synonyms: distract, scatter

Derived terms

Translations

to move without purpose or specified destination; often in search of livelihood — see also roam

Arabic: تَجَوَّلَ (tajawwala)
Egyptian Arabic: دار (dār)
Armenian: թափառել (hy) (tʻapʻaṙel)
Aromanian: alag, cutriyir
Belarusian: блука́ць impf (blukácʹ), блудзі́ць impf (bludzícʹ)
Bulgarian: бро́дя (bg) impf (bródja), лу́там се impf (lútam se), ски́там impf (skítam) ски́там се impf (skítam se), блуждая (bg) impf (bluždaja), снова (bg) impf (snova), шляя се impf (šljaja se), миткам (bg) impf (mitkam)
Catalan: vagar (ca), deambular (ca)
Chichewa: kuyendayenda
Chinese:
Mandarin: 漫步 (zh) (mànbù), 徘徊 (zh) (páihuái)
Czech: toulat se
Danish: strejfe (da)
Dutch: zwerven (nl), rondtrekken (nl)
Egyptian:

(šmꜣ)
Esperanto: vagi
Finnish: vaeltaa (fi), vaellella (fi), kierrellä (fi), harhailla (fi)
French: errer (fr), vaguer (fr), divaguer (fr)
Galician: vagar (gl), ruar (gl)
Georgian: ხეტიალი (ka) (xeṭiali), წანწალი (c̣anc̣ali)
German: umherstreifen (de), umherstreichen (de), herumziehen (de), stromern (de), (dated) zigeunern (de), schlendern (de), bummeln (de), wandeln (de)
Gothic: 𐍈𐌰𐍂𐌱𐍉𐌽 (ƕarbōn)
Greek: τριγυρίζω (el) (trigyrízo), τριγυρνώ (el) (trigyrnó)
Ancient Greek: περιφοιτάω (periphoitáō)

Ancient: πλανάομαι (planáomai), ῥέμβομαι (rhémbomai), περιέρρω (periérrhō)
Hebrew: שׁוֹטֵט (he) (shotét), תָּעָה (he) (ta'á)
Hindi: भटकना (hi) (bhaṭaknā), घूमना (hi) (ghūmnā)
Hungarian: vándorol (hu), kóborol (hu), kószál (hu), barangol (hu), csatangol (hu), bolyong (hu), bóklászik (hu)
Ingrian: häylyä, häylää
Italian: errare (it), vagare (it), girovagare (it), passeggiare (it), bighellonare (it), vagabondare (it)
Japanese: ぶらつく (ja) (buratsuku), さ迷う (ja) (さまよう, samayou), うろつく (ja) (urotsuku)
Khmer: សាត់ (km) (sat)
Korean: 돌아다니다 (ko) (doradanida), 헤매다 (ko) (hemaeda)
Lao: ເລາະ (lǫ)
Latin: vagor, pālor, errō (la)
Lithuanian: klajoti
Macedonian: талка (talka), скита (mk) (skita), лута (luta)
Maori: kaewa, kāewaewa, whakakaewa, takiwhenua, takiwhenua, ānau, tīpao, taiāmiki, tīhoihoi, ānau, kaea, whakatīhohe, kōpikopiko, tiwhao
Middle English: wandren
Nepali: डुल्नु (ḍulnu)
Norman: èrrer
Occitan: vagar (oc), errar (oc), trevar (oc)
Old Church Slavonic: заблѫждати (zablǫždati)
Old English: scrīþan
Ottoman Turkish: گزمك (gezmek)
Persian: پرسه زدن (fa) (porse zadan)
Polish: włóczyć się (pl), błąkać się (pl), tułać się (pl)
Portuguese: vagar (pt), perambular (pt), vadiar (pt)
Romanian: umbla (ro), plimba (ro), colinda (ro), cutreiera (ro)
Russian: броди́ть (ru) (brodítʹ), слоня́ться (ru) (slonjátʹsja), блужда́ть (ru) (bluždátʹ), шата́ться (ru) (šatátʹsja), шляться (ru) (šljatʹsja), скита́ться (ru) impf (skitátʹsja), блука́ть (ru) impf (blukátʹ), плута́ть (ru) impf (plutátʹ)
Sanskrit: वञ्चति (sa) (vañcati)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: лу́тати impf, одлу́тати pf, блудити impf (Croatia)

Roman: lútati (sh) impf, odlútati (sh) pf, bluditi (sh) impf (Croatia)
Slovak: túlať sa impf
Spanish: vagar (es), divagar (es), errar (es), deambular (es), yirar (es) (River Plate), tunar (es), veletear (Central America), ruar (es), barloventear (es) (colloquial), cancanear (es) (colloquial)
Swedish: vanka (sv), vandra (sv)
Tamil: அலை (ta) (alai)
Thai: ท่องเที่ยว (th) (tɔ̂ng-tîao)
Turkish: gezinmek (tr)
Ukrainian: мандрува́ти impf (mandruváty), блука́ти (uk) impf (blukáty), плута́ти impf (plutáty), броди́ти (uk) impf (brodýty), ника́ти (uk) impf (nykáty), шве́ндяти impf (švéndjaty)
Vietnamese: lang thang (vi)
Welsh: crwydro (cy)
Yao: kwendajenda
Yiddish: וואַנדערן (vandern)

to stray; stray from one's course; err — see also err

Bulgarian: отклонявам се (otklonjavam se), обърквам пътя (obǎrkvam pǎtja)
Chinese:
Mandarin: please add this translation if you can
Danish: strejfe (da)
Finnish: harhautua (fi), eksyä (fi), ajautua sivuun
Hebrew: תָּעָה (he) (ta'á)
Hungarian: elkalandozik (hu), eltér (hu), letér (hu)
Italian: allontanarsi (it), svicolare, perdersi (it)
Old Anatolian Turkish: آزمق (azmaq)
Ottoman Turkish: آزمق (azmak)
Spanish: desviarse (es), descarriarse (es)
Swedish: irra (sv)
Turkish: şaşmak (tr)

to commit adultery — see also cheat

Bulgarian: изневерявам (bg) (izneverjavam)
Czech: zahnout (cs) pf (informal)
Dutch: vreemdgaan (nl)
Finnish: pettää (fi), käydä vieraissa (fi), tehdä aviorikos, olla uskoton, (religious/archaic) tehdä huorin
German: ^{(please verify)} fremdgehen (de), ^{(please verify)} einen Seitensprung tun
Hungarian: megcsal (hu), félrelép (hu)
Italian: tradire (it)
Maori: moe tāhae, pūremu
Spanish: engañar (es), aventurar (es)

to go somewhere indirectly or at varying speeds; to move in a curved path

Bulgarian: бродя (bg) (brodja)
Chinese:
Mandarin: please add this translation if you can
Dutch: dolen (nl)
Finnish: kierrellä (fi), kaarrella (fi), kiertää (fi), vaeltaa (fi)
German: umherschweifen (de)
Hungarian: kanyarog (hu), kígyózik (hu), kacskaringózik (hu)
Italian: vagare (it), serpeggiare (it)
Japanese: 迷う (ja) (mayou)
Middle English: wandren
Old English: scrīþan
Spanish: peregrinar (es)

of the mind, to lose focus or clarity of argument or attention

Bulgarian: разсейвам се impf (razsejvam se), разсея се pf (razseja se)
Czech: toulat se
Dutch: afdwalen (nl)
Finnish: harhailla (fi)
German: abschweifen (de)
Hungarian: (to digress, stray) elkalandozik (hu), (to daydream, muse) elábrándozik (hu), ábrándozik (hu), álmodozik (hu), elméláz (hu), (to rave, be delirious) félrebeszél (hu)
Italian: divagare (it)
Japanese: 横道にそれる (yokomichi ni soreru)
Middle English: wandren
Spanish: divagar (es), pajarear (es), pajaronear

wander freely in groups

Khiamniungan Naga: ūo

Noun

wander (countable and uncountable, plural wanders)

(countable) An act or instance of wandering.
to go for a wander in the park
(uncountable, of a value, signal or similar) Deviation from a correct or normal value.
Hyponym: polar wander

baseline wander in ECG signals

Translations

act or instance of wandering

Bulgarian: скитане (bg) n (skitane)
Czech: toulka f
Esperanto: vago (eo)
Greek: τριγύρισμα (el) n (trigýrisma)
Hungarian: vándorlás (hu), barangolás (hu), kóborlás (hu), kószálás (hu), csatangolás (hu), bolyongás (hu), bóklászás (hu)
Italian: vagabondaggio (it) m
Lithuanian: klajonė f, klajojimas m
Polish: wędrówka (pl) f, tułaczka (pl) f
Portuguese: vagueação f, perambulação f
Russian: стра́нствие (ru) n (stránstvije)
Welsh: crwydr (cy) m

Anagrams

Andrew, Darwen, Warden, drawne, warden, warned