vandal
English
Etymology
1660s, “willful destroyer of what is beautiful or venerable”,[1] from Vandal, referring to a member of an ancient Germanic people, the Vandals, who are associated with senseless destruction as a result of their sack of Rome under King Genseric in 455. During the Enlightenment, Rome was idealized, while the Goths and Vandals were blamed for its destruction. The Vandals may not have been any more destructive than other invaders of ancient times, but they did inspire English poet John Dryden to write, Till Goths, and Vandals, a rude Northern race, Did all the matchless Monuments deface (1694).[2] However, the Vandals did intentionally damage statues, which may be why their name is associated with the vandalism of art. The coining of French Vandalisme by Henri Grégoire in 1794 to describe the destruction of artwork following the French Revolution popularized the idea further, and the term was quickly adopted across Europe, including as English vandalism.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈvændəl/
- Rhymes: -ændəl
Audio (US) (file)
Noun
vandal (plural vandals)
- A person who needlessly destroys, defaces, or damages other people's property.
- (Should we delete(+) this sense?) (computing) A person who needlessly destroys, defaces, or damages software.
- The anonymous vandal was blocked after going on a vandalism spree.
Synonyms
- destroyer
- ruiner
- wrecker
Derived terms
- vandalic
- vandalise, vandalize
- vandalish
- vandalism
- vandal-proof, vandalproof
Translations
|
- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
|
References
- Douglas Harper (2001–2023), “vandal”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
- [John] Dryden (1694), “To Sir Godfrey Kneller”, in The Annual Miscellany: for the Year 1694. Being the Fourth Part of Miscellany Poems. Containing Great Variety of New Translations and Original Copies, by the Most Eminent Hands., London: […] R. E. for Jacob Tonson, […], page 90: “Till Goths and Vandals, a rude Northern Race, / Did all the matchless Monuments deface.”
Czech
Noun
vandal m
- vandal (person who needlessly destroys, defaces, or damages other people's property)
Further reading
- vandal in Kartotéka Novočeského lexikálního archivu
- vandal in Slovník spisovného jazyka českého, 1960–1971, 1989
Manx
Etymology
Borrowed from English vandal.
Noun
vandal m (genitive singular vandal, plural vandallyn)
- (historical) vandal
Norwegian Bokmål
Etymology
From Latin vandali (plural).
Noun
vandal m (definite singular vandalen, indefinite plural vandaler, definite plural vandalene)
- (modern-day) a vandal
- (historical) a Vandal
Derived terms
- vandalsk
References
- “vandal” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
Norwegian Nynorsk
Etymology
From Latin vandali (plural).
Noun
vandal m (definite singular vandalen, indefinite plural vandalar, definite plural vandalane)
- (modern-day) a vandal
- (historical) a Vandal
Derived terms
- vandalsk
References
- “vandal” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.
Romanian
Etymology
From French vandale.
Noun
vandal m (plural vandali)
- vandal
- Vandal
Declension
| singular | plural | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| indefinite articulation | definite articulation | indefinite articulation | definite articulation | |
| nominative/accusative | (un) vandal | vandalul | (niște) vandali | vandalii |
| genitive/dative | (unui) vandal | vandalului | (unor) vandali | vandalilor |
| vocative | vandalule | vandalilor | ||
Swedish
Noun
vandal c
- a vandal
- a Vandal (member of an ancient east Germanic tribe)
Declension
| Declension of vandal | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | Plural | |||
| Indefinite | Definite | Indefinite | Definite | |
| Nominative | vandal | vandalen | vandaler | vandalerna |
| Genitive | vandals | vandalens | vandalers | vandalernas |
See also
- huligan (“hooligan”)
- ligist
References
- vandal in Svensk ordbok (SO)
- vandal in Svenska Akademiens ordlista (SAOL)
- vandal in Svenska Akademiens ordbok (SAOB)