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Vandal

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One who destroys beautiful objects to make way for what he terms “improvements,” or to indulge his own caprice. When Genʹseric with his Vandals captured Rome in A.D. 455, he mutilated the public monuments regardless of their worth or beauty.

“The word ‘vandalismʹ was invented by the Abbé Grégoire, à propos of the destruction of works of art by revolutionary fanatics.”—Nineteenth Century (Aug., 1893, p. 272).

 

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Entry taken from Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, edited by the Rev. E. Cobham Brewer, LL.D. and revised in 1895.

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Valla (Laurentius)
Vallary Crown
Valley of Humiliation
Valley of the Shadow of Death
Vallombrosa
Valorem
Vamp
Vampire
Van
Van (pl. Vanir)
Vandal
Vandyck
Vandyke
Vanessa
Vanity Fair
Vanoc
Vantage Loaf
Varina
Varnish
Varro
Varuna