to ramble without a definite purpose or objective; roam, rove, or stray: to wander over the earth.
to go aimlessly, indirectly, or casually; meander: The river wanders among the rocks.
to extend in an irregular course or direction: Foothills wandered off to the south.
to move, pass, or turn idly, as the hand or the eyes.
(of the mind, thoughts, desires, etc.) to take one direction or another without conscious intent or control: His attention wandered as the speaker droned on.
to stray from a path, place, companions, etc.: During the storm the ship wandered from its course.
to deviate in conduct, belief, etc.; err; go astray: Let me not wander from Thy Commandments.
to think or speak confusedly or incoherently.
(of a person with a mental disorder or cognitive impairment) to move about or walk in a seemingly aimless or random manner.
verb (used with object)
to travel about, on, or through: He wandered the streets.
noun
Mechanics. the drift of a gyroscope or a similar device.
Origin of wander
before 900;Middle Englishwandren,Old Englishwandrian (cognate with Germanwandern), frequentative of wendan to wend; see -er6
Related formswan·der·er, nounout·wan·der, verb (used with object)
Old English wandrian "move about aimlessly, wander," from West Germanic *wandrojan (cf. Old Frisian wondria, Middle Low German, Middle Dutch wanderen, German wandern "to wander," a variant form of the root represented in Old High German wantalon "to walk, wander"), from root *wend- "to turn" (see wind (v.)). In reference to the mind, affections, etc., attested from c.1400. Related: Wandered; wandering. The Wandering Jew of Christian legend first mentioned 13c. (cf. French le juif errant, German der ewige Jude).
