Now dial. Forms: 1 wand, wond; 4–6 wonte, 7 wounte, 5– wont; 6 wante, (vant), 6– want; 9 dial. waunt, wunt, woont, (h)unt, (h)oont, etc. (see Eng. Dial. Dict.). [OE. wand, wǫnd = Sw. dial. vand (cited by Aasen), Norw. vand, vaand, vond, vønd, mole, also shrew (also in comb. moldvond ‘earth-mole,’ in contradistinction to vatsvond water-rat, and in vandskjer shrew, synonymous with musskjer, where the first element is mus mouse). The word is possibly a shortened form of the synonymous compound OE. wandeweorpe, MLG. wandworp, windeworp, wannewörpe, mod. LG. winneworp (Doornkaat Koolman), in which the second element (f. Teut. *werp- to throw) corresponds to that of MOULDWARP. The root seems clearly to be the Teut. *wend-: *wand- to turn (see WIND, WEND vbs.); prob. the word has reference to the winding passages made by the animal.
The word is found in the 8th-c. glossaries, but does not again appear till near the end of the 14th c. All the ME. and mod. Eng. forms agree in the unexplained substitution of t for the final d of the OE. form. The word is unknown to the dialects of the northern and north-east midland counties, but is elsewhere in common use.]
A mole.
c. 725. Corpus Gloss. (Hessels), T 16. Talpa, wond [Epinal wand, Erfurt uuond, Leiden uoond.]
1387. Trevisa, Higden (Rolls), I. 339. Þere [sc. in Ireland] lakkeþ … wontes, and oþere venemous bestes [L. talpis et cæteris venenosis].
14[?]. Metr. Voc., in Wr.-Wülcker, 625/9. Wont, talpa.
1509. Barclay, Shyp of Folys, 206 b. A slouthfull creature is … as a molle, or vant mete and able For to do profyte within a garden grene.
1530. Palsgr., 286/2. Want beest a molle, taulpe.
1566. Act 8 Eliz., c. 15 § 2. For the Heades of everie Moldwarpe or Wante one halfpeny.
1581. J. Bell, Haddon’s Answ. Osor., 113 b. By this Argument you may playnely perceave unlesse you wilbe wilfully blind like a want.
1607. Topsell, Four-f. Beasts, 498. I do vtterly dissent from all them that holde opinion that the Mole or Want is of the kinde of Myse.
1610. R. Vaughan, Water-Workes, E 2 b. As Wountes or Moles, hunt after wormes.
1660. Guillim’s Displ. Heraldry, III. xvii. (ed. 4), 207. He beareth, Argent, a Cheuron between three Moles or Wants, Sable.
1686. Plot, Staffordsh., 196. Part of a stone … that prettily represented a Mole or Want.
a. 1800. Pegge, Suppl. Grose, Want, a mole. Herefordshire; where it is pronounced Wunt.
1829. [J. L. Knapp], Jrnl. Naturalist, 146. The mole, want, mouldwarper, or mouldturner (talpa europæa) is common with us, as it appears to be in most places.
1884. Blackw. Mag., Dec., 785/2. ’Twasn’t much bigger than a mouse or a small want.
b. Comb., as want-catcher, -killer, -taker; wanthill, a molehill.
1598. T. Bastard, Chrestoleros (1880), 21. Walking the fieldes a *wantcatcher I spide.
1905. Athenæum, 16 Sept., 371/1. I can … remember … sitting … in the chimney corner of the house at Luccombe of … the parish want-catcher.
14[?]. Lat.-Eng. Voc., in Wr.-Wülcker, 615/10. Talpefodium, a *wonthylle.
1585. Higins, Junius’ Nomencl., 380/1. Grumus,… an hop hil, mole-hill, or want hill.
1610. R. Vaughan, Water-Workes, R 2. Were it not for my brauing-trench and my stankes, I should neuer need the vse of a *Want-killer.
1533. in Lett. & Papers Henry VIII., VI. No. 914. 392. [Deposition] of John Shubrocke, of Northover, *wanttaker.
