Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “vandal” come from?

Vandal comes from Latin Vandalus, from Proto-Germanic wandilaz, referring to members of a Germanic tribe known for destructive raids during the fall of the Roman Empire.

vandal (English): A person who needlessly destroys, defaces, or...

Definitions

  1. A person who needlessly destroys, defaces, or...

Ancestry of “vandal”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishVandalA member of an ancient east Germanic tribe famous...
2LatinVandalusVandal
3Proto-Germanicwandilazwanderer; Vandal; Vendil
4Proto-Indo-Europeanwendʰ-eh₂-—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwendʰ-to wind, to turn

Words derived from “vandal”

  • vandalize
  • vandalization
  • vandalistic
  • vandalise
  • vandalic
  • vandalous
  • vandalist
  • vandalish
  • antivandal
  • vandalistically
  • vandalizer
  • vandalically
  • cybervandal
  • vandaliser
  • vandal
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wendʰ- →