Wand

//wɒnd// name, noun, verb, slang

Definitions

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname.
Noun
  1. 1
    A hand-held narrow rod, usually used for pointing or instructing, or as a traditional emblem of authority.

    "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."

  2. 2
    a thin tapered rod used by a conductor to lead an orchestra or choir wordnet
  3. 3
    A hand-held narrow rod, usually used for pointing or instructing, or as a traditional emblem of authority.; A stick or rod used by a magician (a magic wand), conjurer or diviner (divining rod).

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

  4. 4
    a rod used by a magician or water diviner wordnet
  5. 5
    An instrument shaped like a wand, such as a curling wand. broadly

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

Show 5 more definitions
  1. 6
    a ceremonial or emblematic staff wordnet
  2. 7
    A stick, branch, or stalk, especially of willow.

    "The skillful shepherd peeled me certain wands."

  3. 8
    a thin supple twig or rod wordnet
  4. 9
    A card of a particular suit of the minor arcana in tarot, the wands.
  5. 10
    A player's foot used especially skillfully in football. UK, figuratively, informal

    "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."

Verb
  1. 1
    To scan (e.g. a passenger at an airport) with a handheld metal detector. transitive
  2. 2
    To use a handheld vibrator (the sex toy) on (a person or body part). transitive

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English wand, wond, from Old Norse vǫndr (“switch, twig”), 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”).

Etymology 2

From Middle English wand, wond, from Old Norse vǫndr (“switch, twig”), 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”).

Etymology 3

Various origins: * A nickname for a shy or short-sighted person, from Old English wand (“mole”). * Borrowed from German Wand, a metonymic occupational surname for a weaver or cloth cutter, from Middle High German gewant (“cloth, garment”) (representing modern Gewand (“garment”)). * Borrowed from Dutch Wand, a metonymic occupational surname for a glove maker, from Middle Dutch want (“glove”).

Next best steps

Mini challenge

Unscramble this word: wand