# wander

Pronunciation: US say "WAHN-dur" /ˈwɑndɚ/; UK say "WON-duh" /ˈwɒndə/

## Verb

1. To move from place to place without a purpose or set destination, often in search of work or a living.
   - Simple: To walk around slowly with no special place to go.
   - _Nomadic herders wander across the plains in search of fresh grazing._
   - _After losing his job, he wandered from town to town picking up odd work._
2. Of a person's mind or attention, to lose focus and drift away from the matter at hand.
   - Simple: To stop paying attention and let your thoughts drift away from what you are doing.
   - _His attention wandered as the meeting dragged on._
   - _Her thoughts began to wander toward the weekend._
3. To proceed toward a place indirectly or at varying speeds, following a curved or winding course.
   - Simple: To move along a twisting or curving path instead of going straight.
   - _Country lanes wander between hedgerows before reaching the village._
   - _The trail wandered along the coast, dipping inland now and then._
4. To stray from one's intended course or proper path; to go astray or err.
   - Simple: To move away from the right path, or to make a mistake.
   - _Hikers who wander from the marked route risk getting lost._
   - _His argument wandered from the question the committee had actually asked._
6. To be sexually unfaithful to one's husband or wife by having sex with someone else.
   - Simple: To cheat on your husband or wife by having sex with someone else.
   - _Rumors spread that the senator had wandered while his wife was away._
   - _He promised his wife he would never wander again._

## Noun

5. An act or instance of moving about without a fixed destination; a leisurely stroll.
   - Simple: A slow walk around with no special place to go.
   - _After lunch they enjoyed a quiet wander through the gardens._
   - _A short wander around the neighborhood helped clear her head._
7. Departure of a value, signal, or similar quantity from its correct or normal level.
   - Simple: A change that takes a value or signal away from the right or normal level.
   - _The timing circuit showed noticeable wander after several hours of operation._
   - _Calibration reduced the wander in the instrument's baseline._

## Origin

From Middle English wandren, from Old English wandrian ("to wander, roam, stray, err"), going back to a Proto-West Germanic frequentative built on a root meaning "to turn, change." It is cognate with German wandern, Dutch wandelen, Danish vandre, and Swedish vandra, all meaning to wander, roam, or hike.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/wander (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).