gander
UK[ˈɡændə]US[ˈɡændər]
n
A male goose.
n
(informal) A look or glance.
Etymology
The word 'gander' originates from the Old English 'gandra' or 'ganra', which is related to the Dutch 'gander' and the German 'Ganter'. These terms are all masculine derivatives of the Proto-Germanic root for 'goose', which is 'gans-'. This root itself descends from the Proto-Indo-European 'ǵʰh₂éns-', the ultimate source for words for goose in many Indo-European languages, such as Latin 'anser' and Greek 'χήν' (khēn). The informal sense of 'gander' meaning 'a look' arose in the early 20th century, likely from the idea of a goose craning its neck to see something, thus inviting the metaphorical extension from the animal's behavior to the act of looking.
Analysis
The word 'gander' is a simplex word of Germanic origin. It does not contain separable, meaningful morphemes within its modern English spelling.
Examples
The gander protectively watched over the nest while the goose sat on the eggs.
Let me take a gander at that document before you send it.
He wandered over to the pond to have a gander at the new flock of geese.