vandal

See also: Vandal, vandál, and vàndal

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)

  1. A person who needlessly destroys, defaces, or damages things, especially other people's property.
    Vandals spray-painted obscenities on the side of the building.
    The anonymous vandal was blocked after going on a vandalism spree.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked

References

  1. ^ Douglas Harper (2001–2025) “vandal”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
  2. ^ [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 anim

  1. vandal (person who needlessly destroys, defaces, or damages other people's property)

Declension

Declension of vandal (hard masculine animate)
singular plural
nominative vandal vandalové
genitive vandala vandalů
dative vandalovi, vandalu vandalům
accusative vandala vandaly
vocative vandale vandalové
locative vandalovi, vandalu vandalech
instrumental vandalem vandaly

Further reading

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Latin vandali (plural).

Noun

vandal m (definite singular vandalen, indefinite plural vandaler, definite plural vandalene)

  1. (modern-day) a vandal
  2. (historical) a Vandal

Derived terms

References

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From Latin vandali (plural).

Noun

vandal m (definite singular vandalen, indefinite plural vandalar, definite plural vandalane)

  1. (modern-day) a vandal
  2. (historical) a Vandal

Derived terms

References

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French vandale.

Noun

vandal m (plural vandali)

  1. vandal
  2. Vandal

Declension

Declension of vandal
singular plural
indefinite definite indefinite definite
nominative-accusative vandal vandalul vandali vandalii
genitive-dative vandal vandalului vandali vandalilor
vocative vandalule vandalilor

Swedish

Noun

vandal c

  1. a vandal
  2. a Vandal (member of an ancient east Germanic tribe)

Declension

Declension of vandal
nominative genitive
singular indefinite vandal vandals
definite vandalen vandalens
plural indefinite vandaler vandalers
definite vandalerna vandalernas

See also

References

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