wand

[ wond ]

noun

1. a slender stick or rod, especially one used by a magician, conjurer, or diviner.
2. a rod or staff carried as an emblem of one's office or authority.
3. a slender shoot, stem, or branch of a shrub or tree.
4. a small applicator for cosmetics, usually having a brush at the tip:

   She applied the mascara with a wand.

5. U.S. Archery. a slat 6 feet (183 centimeters) by 2 inches (5 centimeters) placed at a distance of 100 yards (91 meters) for men and 60 yards (55 meters) for women, and used as a target.
6. Also called wand reader. an electronic device, in the form of a handheld rod, that can optically read coded data, as on a merchandise label or tag or the page of a book.

wand

/ wɒnd /

noun

1. a slender supple stick or twig
2. a thin rod carried as a symbol of authority
3. a rod used by a magician, water diviner, etc
4. informal.
   a conductor's baton
5. archery a marker used to show the distance at which the archer stands from the target
6. a hand-held electronic device, such as a light pen or bar-code reader, which is pointed at or passed over an item to read the data stored there

Derived Forms

• ˈwandˌlike, adjective

Other Words From

• wandlike adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of wand¹

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English, from Old Norse vǫndr; cognate with Gothic wandus

Word History and Origins

Origin of wand¹

C12: from Old Norse vōndr; related to Gothic wandus and English wend

Example Sentences

It’s worth noting that it doesn’t convert to a handheld, and has no hand wand or extra tools.

From Popular-Science

“If I had a magic wand, I’d love for the employees at GitHub to be able to have a union and represent people from marginalized communities,” he said.

From TechCrunch

We know that there’s no magic wand that will undo all that happened in 2020, but with belief and love, we know that there’s nothing that we can’t accomplish in 2021.

From Essence.com

They’re not a magic wand for ad optimization and still require human optimization.

From Search Engine Land

The wand then uses onboard smarts to determine the size, shape, and intensity of each spot in comparison to its surroundings.

From Popular-Science

Nearly 90 years later, a group of magicians still honors their idol with a “Broken Wand” ceremony at his gravesite each year.

From The Daily Beast

Without such prodding, the machine's wand simply doesn't have enough torque to move ice cream so formidable.

From The Daily Beast

Well, I am sure Hillary understands better than anyone that there is no magic wand.

From The Daily Beast

There are a lot of people who want to wave a magic wand and make all that stuff go away,” said “Still4Hill.

From The Daily Beast

A French wizard discovers his newfound sexuality vis-à-vis a magic wand that happens to be attached to him.

From The Daily Beast

He made me think of an old time magician more than anything, and I felt that with a touch of his wand he could transform us all.

From Project Gutenberg

The good saint appeared before him, and, striking the crocodile with his wand, changed it instantly into a rock.

From Project Gutenberg

As if a magician's wand had touched him, the garland of roses transformed him into a vision of Oriental beauty.

From Project Gutenberg

Hamza took down the panniers after laying his wand of sugar-cane upon the burning ground.

From Project Gutenberg

Many of them towered a hundred feet with scarcely a limb to mar the wand-like symmetry of the six-foot boles.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• baton