Etymology

Always derived from ON, cp. OIcel vǫndr ‘wand, switch’.  This word and its Go cognate wandus ‘rod’ represent a PGmc *wanðuz, which is best explained as a formation on the a-grade of the root of *wenðan ‘to turn, wind’ (as in e.g. OE wendan, pret. sg. wand. Some authorities cite OHG, MLG, MDu want ‘wall’, as a WGmC cognate (explained as originally referring to ‘wickerwork’ by Kluge-Seebold s.v. Wand; see further de Vries, Mag.). See also wande.

PGmc Ancestor

*wanðuz

Proposed ON Etymon (OIcel representative)

vǫndr ‘wand, switch’
(ONP vǫndr (sb.))

Other Scandinavian Reflexes

Far vond, Icel vöndur, Norw vond, Dan vånd, OSw vander, Sw dial vann

OE Cognate

cp. wendan (v.) 'to turn, direct'

Phonological and morphological markers

Summary category

C1c

Attestation

N and E in its earliest occurrences (Orrm onwards), but increasingly widespread from the late 14c. (see  McGee 467, 495, who regards these later ME S uses as ‘literary or learned’). In MnE Sc., N and E dial (see OED and EDD).

Occurrences in the Gersum Corpus

Gaw 215; WA 57

Gaw 1161 wande is very probably another instance of the same word; see wande.

Bibliography

MED wōnd(e (n.1) , OED wand (n.) , HTOED , HTOED , Dance wandez, EDD wand (sb. 1, adj., and v.1), Bj. 224, de Vries vǫndr, Mag. vöndur, Seebold wend-a-, Orel *wanðuz, Kroonen *wandu-