Where does “a-wander” come from?

a-wander (Cornish) comes from Cornish gwandra, from English wander, from Middle English wandren, from Old English wandrian, from Proto-West Germanic *wandarōn — to waver, change, fluctuate.

a-wander (Cornish): aimlessly, erratically

Definitions

  1. aimlessly, erratically

Ancestry of “a-wander”, step by step

a-wander traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Cornish gwandra

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Cornishgwandrato wander, hike
2EnglishwanderTo move without purpose or specified destination;...
3Middle EnglishwandrenTo move aimlessly; to ramble or saunter
4Old Englishwandrianto wander; to travel
5Proto-West Germanic*wandarōnto waver, change, fluctuate

via Cornish a

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1CornishaMarks the following verb to the preceding...
Every word from Proto-West Germanic *wandarōnEvery word from Old English wandrianEvery word from Middle English wandren