vandal

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• /væn.dəl/
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• /væːn.dəl/ bad–lad split
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• /ˈvændəl/
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• rhymes with -ændəl
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• CMU ARPABET: V AE1 N D AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
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From Latin Vandalus, named after the Germanic tribe, from Proto-Germanic *wandilaz, from Proto-Indo-European *wendh-eh2-, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wendh- (“to turn, wind, braid”). Also related to Old English Wendlas.

1660s, “willful destroyer of what is beautiful or venerable”, from Vandal, referring to a member of an ancient Germanic people, the Vandals, who are associated with senseless destruction as a result of their sack of Rome under King Genseric in 455. During the Enlightenment, Rome was idealized, while the Goths and Vandals were blamed for its destruction. The Vandals may not have been any more destructive than other invaders of ancient times, but they did inspire English poet John Dryden to write, Till Goths, and Vandals, a rude Northern race, Did all the matchless Monuments deface (1694). However, the Vandals did intentionally damage statues, which may be why their name is associated with the vandalism of art. The coining of French Vandalisme by Henri Grégoire in 1794 to describe the destruction of artwork following the French Revolution popularized the idea further, and the term was quickly adopted across Europe, including as English vandalism.

75 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Armenian: վանդալ (vandal) — person who destroys or damages property
• Belarusian: ванда́л (vandál) — person who destroys or damages property
• Bulgarian: ванда́л (vandál) — person who destroys or damages property
• Catalan: vàndal — person who destroys or damages property
• Chinese Mandarin: 破壞者 /破坏者 (pòhuàizhě) — person who destroys or damages property
• Czech: vandal — person who destroys or damages property
• Danish: vandal — person who destroys or damages property
• Dutch: vandaal — person who destroys or damages property
• Esperanto: vandalo — person who destroys or damages property
• Estonian: vandaal — person who destroys or damages property
• Finnish: vandaali — person who destroys or damages property
• Finnish: ilkivallantekijä — person who destroys or damages property
• French: vandale — person who destroys or damages property
• Galician: vándalo — person who destroys or damages property
• Georgian: ვანდალი (vandali) — person who destroys or damages property
• German: Vandale — person who destroys or damages property
• Greek: βάνδαλος (vándalos) — person who destroys or damages property
• Greek: βανδαλιστής (vandalistís) — person who destroys or damages property
• Hungarian: vandál — person who destroys or damages property
• Icelandic: skemmdarvargur — person who destroys or damages property
• Interlingua: vandalo — person who destroys or damages property
• Irish: creachadóir — person who destroys or damages property
• Irish: loitiméir — person who destroys or damages property
• Irish: sladaire — person who destroys or damages property
• Italian: vandalo — person who destroys or damages property
• Japanese: 破壊者 (hakaisha) — person who destroys or damages property
• Korean: 반달 (bandal) — person who destroys or damages property
• Manx: cragheyder — person who destroys or damages property
• Manx: jeeylleyder — person who destroys or damages property
• Norwegian Bokmål: vandal — person who destroys or damages property
• Norwegian Nynorsk: vandal — person who destroys or damages property
• Persian: خرابکار (xarâbkâr) — person who destroys or damages property
• Persian: مغول (moġol) — person who destroys or damages property
• Polish: wandal — person who destroys or damages property
• Portuguese: vândalo — person who destroys or damages property
• Russian: ванда́л (vandál) — person who destroys or damages property
• Russian: ванда́лка (vandálka) — person who destroys or damages property
• Slovak: vandal — person who destroys or damages property
• Spanish: vándalo — person who destroys or damages property
• Swedish: vandal — person who destroys or damages property
• Ukrainian: ванда́л (vandál) — person who destroys or damages property
• Yiddish: וואַנדאַל (vandal) — person who destroys or damages property
• Arabic: وِنْدَالِيّ (windāliyy) — member of an ancient east Germanic tribe
• Chinese Mandarin: 汪達爾 /汪达尔 (Wàngdá'ěr) — member of an ancient east Germanic tribe
• Czech: Vandal — member of an ancient east Germanic tribe
• Danish: vandal — member of an ancient east Germanic tribe
• Estonian: vandaal — member of an ancient east Germanic tribe
• Finnish: vandaali — member of an ancient east Germanic tribe
• French: Vandale — member of an ancient east Germanic tribe
• Galician: vándalo — member of an ancient east Germanic tribe
• Georgian: ვანდალი (vandali) — member of an ancient east Germanic tribe
• German: Vandale — member of an ancient east Germanic tribe
• German: Wandale — member of an ancient east Germanic tribe
• Greek: Βάνδαλος (Vándalos) — member of an ancient east Germanic tribe
• Ancient Greek: Οὐάνδαλος (Ouándalos) — member of an ancient east Germanic tribe
• Hebrew: ונדל (Vandal) — member of an ancient east Germanic tribe
• Hungarian: vandál — member of an ancient east Germanic tribe
• Icelandic: Vandali — member of an ancient east Germanic tribe
• Interlingua: vandalo — member of an ancient east Germanic tribe
• Irish: Vandal — member of an ancient east Germanic tribe
• Italian: vandalo — member of an ancient east Germanic tribe
• Japanese: ヴァンダル族 (Vandaru-zoku) — member of an ancient east Germanic tribe
• Malay: Andalus — member of an ancient east Germanic tribe
• Māori: Wanara — member of an ancient east Germanic tribe
• Marathi: व्हँडल (vhĕṇḍal) — member of an ancient east Germanic tribe
• Norwegian Bokmål: vandal — member of an ancient east Germanic tribe
• Norwegian Nynorsk: vandal — member of an ancient east Germanic tribe
• Polish: Wandal — member of an ancient east Germanic tribe
• Portuguese: vândalo — member of an ancient east Germanic tribe
• Russian: Ва́ндал (Vándal) — member of an ancient east Germanic tribe
• Slovak: Vandal — member of an ancient east Germanic tribe
• Spanish: vándalo — member of an ancient east Germanic tribe
• Swedish: vandal — member of an ancient east Germanic tribe
• Tagalog: Bandalo — member of an ancient east Germanic tribe
• Yiddish: וואַנדאַל (vandal) — member of an ancient east Germanic tribe