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.
Wan"der (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Wandered (?); p. pr. & vb. n.
Wandering.] [OE. wandren, wandrien, AS. wandrian; akin to G. wandern to
wander; fr. AS. windan to turn. See Wind to turn.]
1. To ramble here and there without any certain course or with no
definite object in view; to range about; to stroll; to rove; as, to
wander over the fields.
They wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins.
Heb. xi. 37.
He wandereth abroad for bread.
Job xv. 23.
2. To go away; to depart; to stray off; to deviate; to go astray; as, a
writer wanders from his subject.
When God caused me to wander from my father's house.
Gen. xx. 13.
O, let me not wander from thy commandments.
Ps. cxix. 10.
3. To be delirious; not to be under the guidance of reason; to rave;
as, the mind wanders.
Syn. — To roam; rove; range; stroll; gad; stray; straggly; err; swerve;
deviate; depart.
Wan"der, v. t. To travel over without a certain course; to traverse; to
stroll through. [R.] "[Elijah] wandered this barren waste." Milton.
Wan"der*er (?), n. One who wanders; a rambler; one who roves; hence,
one who deviates from duty.
Wan"der*ing, a. & n. from Wander, v.
Wandering albatross (Zoöl.), the great white albatross. See Illust. of
Albatross. — Wandering cell (Physiol.), an animal cell which possesses
the power of spontaneous movement, as one of the white corpuscles of
the blood. — Wandering Jew (Bot.), any one of several creeping species
of Tradescantia, which have alternate, pointed leaves, and a soft,
herbaceous stem which roots freely at the joints. They are commonly
cultivated in hanging baskets, window boxes, etc. — Wandering kidney
(Med.), a morbid condition in which one kidney, or, rarely, both
kidneys, can be moved in certain directions; — called also floating
kidney, movable kidney. — Wandering liver (Med.), a morbid condition of
the liver, similar to wandering kidney. — Wandering mouse (Zoöl.), the
whitefooted, or deer, mouse. See Illust. of Mouse. — Wandering spider
(Zoöl.), any one of a tribe of spiders that wander about in search of
their prey.
Wan"der*ing*ly, adv. In a wandering manner.
Wan"der*ment (?), n. The act of wandering, or roaming. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.
Wan`der*oo" (?), n. [Cingalese wanderu a monkey.] (Zoöl.) A large
monkey (Macacus silenus) native of Malabar. It is black, or nearly so,
but has a long white or gray beard encircling the face. Called also
maha, silenus, neelbhunder, lion-tailed baboon, and great wanderoo.
[Written also ouanderoo.]
The name is sometimes applied also to other allied species.
Wand"y (?), a. Long and flexible, like a wand. [Prov. Eng.] Brockett.
Wane (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Waned (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Waning.] [OE.
wanien, AS. wanian, wonian, from wan, won, deficient, wanting; akin to
D. wan-, G. wahnsinn, insanity, OHG. wan, wana-, lacking, wan&?;n to
lessen, Icel. vanr lacking, Goth. vans; cf. Gr. &?; bereaved, Skr.
&?;na wanting, inferior. &?;&?;&?;&?;. Cf. Want lack, and Wanton.]
1. To be diminished; to decrease; — contrasted with wax, and especially
applied to the illuminated part of the moon.
Like the moon, aye wax ye and wane. Waning moons their settled periods
keep.
Addison.