gander
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gander¹
- /ˈɡæn.də/ UK
- /ˈɡæn.dɚ/ Canada, US
- /ˈɡeə̯n.dɚ/ Canada, US
- /ˈɡɛə̯n.dɚ/ Canada, US
Rhymes with -ændə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
From Middle English gandre, from Old English gandra, ganra (“gander”), from Proto-West Germanic *ganʀō, from Proto-Germanic *ganzô (“gander”), from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰh₂éns (“goose”). The meaning "a look" is derived from the image of craning one's neck like a goose. The meaning 'a man apart from his wife' is derived from a concept of a grass widower, and of calling a husband a goose.
Cognates
Cognate with Dutch gander (“gander”), Low German Gander, Ganner (“gander”), dialectal German Gandert (“gander”), German Ganter (“gander”), Norwegian gasse (“gander”), Icelandic gassi (“gander”). Compare also Lithuanian gañdras (“stork”). Related to goose, gannet.
noun ganders
- A male goose. Ganders and geese are at their best for stock from two to ten years old. They live to a great age—it is stated to thirty or more years—but after ten years they cannot be reckoned upon as reliable assets on a farm. Two years old is the best age to mate them, making up pens of a gander and two or thre
- A fool, simpleton.
-
A glance, look.
Have a gander at what he’s written.
Similar: butcher's, butcher's hook
- A man living apart from his wife.
verb ganders · gandering · gandered
- to ramble, wander
Gander²
- /ˈɡæn.də(ɹ)/
Rhymes with -ændə(ɹ)
Where it comes from
* As an English surname, from the noun gander.
* Also as an English surname, spelling variant of Ganter, itself related to French ganter (“to glove”).
* As a north German surname, from Gandern in Brandenburg.
* Also as a north German surname, from Ganter (“male goose”).
* As a south German and Alemannic German surname, from Gand (“scree”).
The town in Newfoundland is named after Gander Bay or Gander Lake, the names of which derive from the noun gander.
proper noun
- A surname.
- A town in Newfoundland, Newfoundland and Labrador.
Translations
Every language
noun a male goose
| Español | ganso |
|---|---|
| 日本語 | 雄ガチョウ osu-gachō |
| 中文 | 雄鵝 /雄鹅 xióng'é |
| Português | ganso |
| Français | jars |
| Deutsch | Gänserich, Ganter |
| Italiano | oca maschio |
| Ελληνικά | χήνος chínos, αρσενική χήνα arsenikí chína |
| Română | gâscan, gânsac |
| Русский | гусь gusʹ, гуса́к gusák |
Talk about this word "gander." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/gander. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. gander. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/gander "gander." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/gander.Cite this
@misc{gander_2026,
title = {gander},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/gander},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
