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.
Origin of vandal
First recorded in 1545–55,
vandal is from the Late Latin word
Vandalus, Latinized tribal name
Words nearby vandal
Example sentences 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), adjective Vandalism, nounCultural 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.