wand

Etymology

From Middle English wand, wond, from Old Norse vǫndr (“switch, twig”),^[1] from Proto-Germanic *wanduz (“rod”), from Proto-Indo-European *wendʰ- (“to turn, twist, wind, braid”). Cognate with Icelandic vendi (“wand”), Danish vånd (“wand, switch”), German Wand (“wall, septum”), Gothic 𐍅𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌿𐍃 (wandus, “rod”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /wɒnd/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /wɑnd/
• (General Australian) IPA^(key): /wɔnd/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɒnd

Noun

wand (plural wands)

2. A hand-held narrow rod, usually used for pointing or instructing, or as a traditional emblem of authority.
   • 1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:

     Then all of a sudden a number of armed men arranged in companies, and marshalled by officers who held ivory wands in their hands, came running swiftly towards us, having, so far as I could make out, emerged from the face of the precipice like ants from their burrows.

   1. A stick or rod used by a magician (a magic wand), conjurer or diviner (divining rod).
      • 1859, George Meredith, chapter 13, in The Ordeal of Richard Feverel. A History of Father and Son. […], volume (please specify |volume=I to III), London: Chapman and Hall, →OCLC:

        Love is that blessed wand which wins the waters from the hardness of the heart.

4. (by extension) An instrument shaped like a wand, such as a curling wand.
   • 1975, Popular Science, volume 207, number 4, page 135:

     Shop vac serves as blower to force vermiculite in fiber drum up through vacuum-cleaner wand and hose into wall opening

6. A stick, branch, or stalk, especially of willow.
   • c. 1596–1598 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Merchant of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii]:

     The skillful shepherd peeled me certain wands.

   • 1891, Thomas Hardy, Tess of the d'Urbervilles, volume 1, London: James R. Osgood, McIlvaine and Co., page 17:

     In addition to the distinction of a white frock, every woman and girl carried in her right hand a peeled willow-wand, and in her left a bunch of white flowers.

8. A card of a particular suit of the minor arcana in tarot, the wands.
9. (UK, soccer, figurative, informal) A player's foot used especially skillfully in football.
   • 2013 October 17, Lee McCulloch, Simp-Lee the Best: My Autobiography, Black & White Publishing, →ISBN:

     Without question, he is the best left-footed player I've ever played with. Along with his wand of a left foot he also has great pace and can be as hard as nails.

   • 2019 February 15, Chris Sweeney, Mad Dog Gravesen, eBook Partnership, →ISBN:

     Shortly afterwards, Thomas lined up a corner and with his wand of a right foot, landed it on the head of Campbell to get Everton's second.

   • 2021 May 10, Danny Lewis, Boleyn's Farewell, eBook Partnership, →ISBN:

     Cresswell also had a wand of a left foot, which was a threat from open play and set-pieces – though his quality in the latter category wasn't used as often in 2015/16 due to Payet's presence.

Verb

wand (third-person singular simple present wands, present participle wanding, simple past and past participle wanded)

2. (transitive) To scan (e.g. a passenger at an airport) with a handheld metal detector.
4. (transitive) To use a handheld vibrator (the sex toy) on (a person or body part).

References

Further reading

• “wand”, in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
• “wand”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• “wand”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.

Anagrams

• Dawn, Dwan, dawn

Etymology

From Middle Dutch want, from Proto-Germanic *wanduz (“wickerwork; barrier, fence”). Cognate with German Wand.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʋɑnt/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: wand
• Rhymes: -ɑnt
• Homophone: want

Noun

wand m (plural wanden, diminutive wandje n)

1. wall

   De wand van het gebouw is bedekt met graffiti.

   The wall of the building is covered with graffiti.

   Er zijn schilderijen op elke wand van de galerij.

   There are paintings on every wall of the gallery.

   Het wandje in de tuin is versierd met klimplanten.

   The small wall in the garden is decorated with climbing plants.

2. face (as in mountain face)

   De wand van de berg is erg steil.

   The face of the mountain is very steep.

   Hij is van plan de noordelijke wand van de Eiger te beklimmen.

   He plans to climb the north face of the Eiger.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ant

Verb

wand

1. first/third-person singular preterite of winden

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wɑnd/

Etymology 1

From Proto-West Germanic *wand, from Proto-Germanic *wanduz (“mole”), from Proto-Indo-European *wendʰ- (“to turn, twist, wind, braid”).

Etymology 2

From windan.