Wandering Jew

noun

plural Wandering Jews

: a Jew of medieval legend condemned by Christ to wander the earth until Christ's Second Coming

or wandering Jew plural wandering Jews, often offensive : any of several trailing tradescantia plants (such as Tradescantia zebrina or T. fluminensis) of the spiderwort family that have showy foliage usually with stripes of white, silver, cream, pink, or purple and that are often grown as houseplants

Note: The name wandering dude is now often used as an alternate name for this plant due to the offensive nature of the historical name. Other common names for this plant are inch plant and tradescantia.

Word History

First Known Use

1622, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler

The first known use of Wandering Jew was in 1622

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Wandering Jew.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Wandering%20Jew. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.

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