vandal
[ van-dl ]
/ ˈvæn dl /
noun
(initial capital letter) a member of a Germanic people who in the 5th century a.d. ravaged Gaul and Spain, settled in Africa, and in a.d. 455 sacked Rome.
a person who willfully or ignorantly destroys or mars something beautiful or valuable.
adjective
(initial capital letter) of or relating to the Vandals.
imbued with or characterized by vandalism.
Words nearby vandal
Origin of vandal
First recorded in 1545–55, vandal is from the Late Latin word Vandalus, Latinized tribal name
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Examples from the Web for vandals
British Dictionary definitions for vandals (1 of 2)
vandal
/ (ˈvændəl) /
noun
- a person who deliberately causes damage or destruction to personal or public property
- (as modifier)vandal instincts
Word Origin for vandal
C17: from Vandal, from Latin Vandallus, of Germanic origin
British Dictionary definitions for vandals (2 of 2)
Vandal
/ (ˈvændəl) /
noun
a member of a Germanic people that raided Roman provinces in the 3rd and 4th centuries ad before devastating Gaul (406–409), conquering Spain and N Africa, and sacking Rome (455): crushed by Belisarius at Carthage (533)
Derived forms of Vandal
Vandalic (vænˈdælɪk), adjectiveVandalism, nounCollins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for vandals
Vandals
A people of northern Europe, known for their cruelty and destructiveness, who invaded the Roman Empire and plundered Rome itself in the fifth century.
notes for Vandals
The term vandalism, meaning wanton destructiveness, comes from the name of the Vandals.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.