noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈwɒndəˌwɜːt/
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈvɒndəˌvɔːt/more similar to German
Southern-England:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
General-American:/ˈwɑndɚˌwɚt/
General-American:/ˈvɑndɚˌvɔɹt/more similar to German
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈwɒndəˌwɜːtə/
Received-Pronunciation:/ˈvɒndəˌvətə/more similar to German
General-American:/ˈwɑndɚˌwɚtɚ/
General-American:/ˈvɑndɚˌvɚtɚ/more similar to German
General-American:[-ɾɚ]
1
noun
Meaning 1
A loanword that has spread to many different languages, often through trade or the adoption of foreign cultural practices.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: human-sciences, linguistics, sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: wanderword
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
Alternative letter-case form of Wanderwort.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: alt-of
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
History
Etymology
Unadapted borrowing from German Wanderwort, from wandern (“to wander”) + Wort (“word”). Wandern is ultimately derived from Proto-Indo-European *wendh- (“to turn, to wind”), and Wort from Proto-Indo-European *werh1- (“to say, speak”). The plural forms Wanderworte and Wanderwörter are also borrowed from German Wanderworte and Wanderwörter.
Across languages
Translations
25 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
لفظ جوال
— loanword that has spread to many different languages, often through trade or the adoption of foreign cultural practices
Chinese:
漫游词
(màn yóu cí)
— loanword that has spread to many different languages, often through trade or the adoption of foreign cultural practices
Danish:
vandreord
— loanword that has spread to many different languages, often through trade or the adoption of foreign cultural practices
Dutch:
zwerfwoord
— loanword that has spread to many different languages, often through trade or the adoption of foreign cultural practices
Esperanto:
vagvorto
— loanword that has spread to many different languages, often through trade or the adoption of foreign cultural practices
Finnish:
kulkusana
— loanword that has spread to many different languages, often through trade or the adoption of foreign cultural practices
French:
mot vagabond
— loanword that has spread to many different languages, often through trade or the adoption of foreign cultural practices
French:
mot voyageur
— loanword that has spread to many different languages, often through trade or the adoption of foreign cultural practices
German:
Wanderwort
— loanword that has spread to many different languages, often through trade or the adoption of foreign cultural practices
Hebrew:
ונדרוורט
— loanword that has spread to many different languages, often through trade or the adoption of foreign cultural practices
Hebrew:
מילת תרבות נודדת
(milat tarbut nodédet)
— loanword that has spread to many different languages, often through trade or the adoption of foreign cultural practices
Hebrew:
מילת נודדת
(milat nodédet)
— loanword that has spread to many different languages, often through trade or the adoption of foreign cultural practices
Hungarian:
vándorszó
— loanword that has spread to many different languages, often through trade or the adoption of foreign cultural practices
Indonesian:
kata kembara
— loanword that has spread to many different languages, often through trade or the adoption of foreign cultural practices
Italian:
parola viaggiante
— loanword that has spread to many different languages, often through trade or the adoption of foreign cultural practices
Japanese:
放浪語
(hōrōgo)
— loanword that has spread to many different languages, often through trade or the adoption of foreign cultural practices
Latin:
verbum peregrīnum
— loanword that has spread to many different languages, often through trade or the adoption of foreign cultural practices
Malay:
kata kembara
— loanword that has spread to many different languages, often through trade or the adoption of foreign cultural practices
Polish:
Wanderwort
— loanword that has spread to many different languages, often through trade or the adoption of foreign cultural practices
Russian:
вандерво́рт
(vandervórt)
— loanword that has spread to many different languages, often through trade or the adoption of foreign cultural practices
Russian:
бродячее слово
(brodjačeje slovo)
— loanword that has spread to many different languages, often through trade or the adoption of foreign cultural practices
Serbo-Croatian:
posuđenica
— loanword that has spread to many different languages, often through trade or the adoption of foreign cultural practices
Spanish:
palabra viajera
— loanword that has spread to many different languages, often through trade or the adoption of foreign cultural practices
Swedish:
vandringsord
— loanword that has spread to many different languages, often through trade or the adoption of foreign cultural practices
Ukrainian:
вандерворт
(vandervort)
— loanword that has spread to many different languages, often through trade or the adoption of foreign cultural practices
