vandal
pronunciation
How to pronounce vandal in British English:
UK [ˈvændl]
How to pronounce vandal in American English:
US ['vændl]
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- Noun:
- someone who willfully destroys or defaces property
Word Origin
- vandal
- vandal: [17] The term vandal commemorates a Germanic tribe, the Vandals, who sacked Rome in 455 AD, and thereby earned themselves a reputation as destroyers of civilization. Their name for themselves was *Wandal-, which etymologically means ‘wanderer’.
- vandal (n.)
- 1660s, "willful destroyer of what is beautiful or venerable," from Vandals, name of the Germanic tribe that sacked Rome in 455 under Genseric, from Latin Vandalus (plural Vandali), from the tribe's name for itself (Old English Wendlas), perhaps from Proto-Germanic *wandljaz "wanderer." The literal historical sense in English is recorded from 1550s. 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. ["Encyclopaedia Britannica," 13th ed., 1926]
Synonym
Example
- 1. I didn 't raise him to be a vandal .
- 2. The damage to the painting was the work of vandal .
- 3. Nike vandal screwed up detailed look .
- 4. All the seat - covers on the train have been torn by vandal .
- 5. Some vandal 's gone and snapped off my car aerial again .