Where does “vandalism” come from?

Vandalism comes from French vandalisme, derived from French Vandale, referring to the Vandal people known for their destructive raids.

vandalism (English): Willful damage to or destruction of any property,...

Definitions

  1. Willful damage to or destruction of any property,...

Ancestry of “vandalism”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchvandalismevandalism
2FrenchVandaleVandal
3LatinVandalusVandal
4Proto-Germanicwandilazwanderer; Vandal; Vendil
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwendʰ-eh₂-—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanwendʰ-to wind, to turn

Words derived from “vandalism”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European wendʰ- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European wendʰ-eh₂- →Every word from Proto-Germanic wandilaz →