Adjacent Words

Wand definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

WAND, n.
1. A small stick; a rod. If a child runs away, a few strokes of a wand will bring him back.
2. A staff of authority; as a silver wand.
3. A rod used by conjurers or diviners.
Picus bore a buckler in his hand, his other wavd a long diving in wand.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a rod used by a magician or water diviner
2: a thin supple twig or rod; "stems bearing slender wands of flowers"
3: a ceremonial or emblematic staff [syn: scepter, sceptre, verge, wand]
4: a thin tapered rod used by a conductor to lead an orchestra or choir [syn: baton, wand]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English, slender stick, from Old Norse v?ndr; probably akin to Old English windan to wind, twist — more at wind Date: 13th century 1. a slender staff carried in a procession ; verge 2. a slender rod used by conjurers and magicians 3. a slat six feet by two inches used as a target in archery; also a narrow strip of paper pasted vertically on a target face 4. any of various pipelike devices; especially the rigid tube between the hose and the nozzle of a vacuum cleaner 5. a handheld device used to enter information (as from a bar code) into a computer

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 a a supposedly magic stick used in casting spells by a fairy, magician, etc. b a stick used by a conjurer for effect. 2 a slender rod carried or used as a marker in the ground. 3 a staff symbolizing some officials' authority. 4 colloq. a conductor's baton. 5 a hand-held electronic device which can be passed over a bar-code to read the data this represents. Etymology: ME prob. f. Gmc: cf. WEND, WIND(2)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Wand Wand, n. [Of Scand. origin; cf. Icel. v["o]ndr, akin to Dan. vaand, Goth. wandus; perhaps originally, a pliant twig, and akin to E. wind to turn.] 1. A small stick; a rod; a verge. With good smart blows of a wand on his back. --Locke. 2. Specifically: (a) A staff of authority. Though he had both spurs and wand, they seemed rather marks of sovereignty than instruments of punishment. --Sir P. Sidney. (b) A rod used by conjurers, diviners, magicians, etc. Picus bore a buckler in his hand; His other waved a long divining wand. --Dryden. Wand of peace (Scots Law), a wand, or staff, carried by the messenger of a court, which he breaks when deforced (that is, hindered from executing process), as a symbol of the deforcement, and protest for remedy of law. --Burrill.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(wands) A wand is the same as a magic wand. You can't simply wave a wand and get rid of nuclear weapons. N-COUNT

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Rod, stick. 2. Bâton, mace, truncheon, staff of authority. 3. Divining-rod.

Moby Thesaurus

Tarnkappe, armory, badge, badge of office, badges, baton, blazonry, brassard, button, caduceus, cap and gown, cap of darkness, chain, chain of office, class ring, cockade, collar, crook, crosier, cross, cross-staff, decoration, divining rod, doodlebug, dowser, dowsing, dowsing rod, dress, eagle, emblems, ensigns, fasces, fern seed, figurehead, fleur-de-lis, gavel, hammer and sickle, heraldry, insignia, lapel pin, livery, mace, magic belt, magic carpet, magic ring, magic spectacles, magic wand, mantle, markings, medal, merrythought, mortarboard, old school tie, pin, portfolio, regalia, ring, rod, rod of office, rose, scepter, school ring, seven-league boots, shamrock, sigillography, skull and crossbones, sphragistics, staff, swastika, tartan, thistle, tie, truncheon, uniform, verge, wand of office, water witch, water witching, wish-bringer, wish-giver, wishbone, wishing bone, wishing cap, wishing stone, wishing well, witching, witching stick