a legendary character condemned to roam without rest because he struck Christ on the day of the Crucifixion.
Also called inch plant. Also wandering Jew, Wandering-jew any of various trailing or creeping plants, as Zebrina pendula or Tradescantia fluminensis, having green or variegated leaves: a popular houseplant.
any of several related creeping or trailing plants of tropical America, esp Tradescantia fluminensis and Zebrina pendula: family Commelinaceae
a similar creeping plant of the genus Commelina
First recorded in 1625–35
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But when we encounter this man in folklore, he’s known by another, more familiar name: the Wandering Jew.
From New York Times ● Aug. 2, 2022
While Rohmer’s stories occasionally hint that Moris Klaw could be the Wandering Jew, Simon Ark actually appears to be centuries-old, a former Coptic priest who travels the world combating satanic evil.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 8, 2020
Octave Édouard Jahyer’s 1856 wood engraving, after Gustave Doré, “The Legend of the Wandering Jew, 11” shows the accursed figure making his way through a world of slithering snakes and lizards.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 13, 2018
In "The Library of the Wandering Jew" he suggests that books are the compasses that guide us both in our self-discovery and in our exploration of the world.
From The Guardian ● Apr. 30, 2010
Like Salathiel, the Wandering Jew, the word March! was ringing in my ears.
From The Iron Furnace Slavery and Secession by Aughey, John H.
The biographical details may come from the author’s grandfather, but the character seems decidedly larger-than-life, a cross between Bruce Wayne, a Japanese ronin and an archetypal wandering Jew.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
When I’ve had the opportunity, as a wandering Jew, to visit the houses of worship of friends, I’ve never felt much in danger of conversion.
From New York Times ● Jan. 19, 2024
Traversing Central and Eastern Europe, New York, California, the Southwestern U. S., Buenos Aires, and Haiti, Reines resembles a cosmic outlaw, a modern-day wandering Jew, whose errancy and alienation disrupts illusions of order.
From The New Yorker ● Oct. 23, 2019
It was the Friday during Passover, and like any wandering Jew, I wanted a Sabbath meal.
From New York Times ● May 22, 2010
Even in "Queen Mab" he makes Ahasuerus, the wandering Jew, recount the Bible story in such broad outlines as could be given only by a man who was familiar with it.
From Study of the King James Bible by McAfee, Cleland Boyd
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
