Wag-wanton
adj, adv, noun
adj, adv, noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 quaking grass: any of a genus, Briza, of grasses UK, countable, obsolete, regional, uncountable
- 2 a sexually promiscuous person UK, obsolete, regional
Adjective
- 1 Synonym of wanton. UK, obsolete, regional
"No man durst scarce this wag-wanton touch."
Adverb
- 1 rowdily (in a manner lacking order) UK, obsolete, regional
"[T]hen euery little childe that playeth wag-wanton[…]"
- 2 promiscuously (indiscriminately or wantonly choosing one's sexual partners) UK, obsolete, regional
"Well hit, but, to the fourth now: Wagge-wanton with his mistresse."
Example
More examples"No man durst scarce this wag-wanton touch."
Etymology
Etymology 1
Compound of wag + wanton, referring to the shaking of Briza flowers in the breeze.
Etymology 2
Formed independently as a compound from the etymology above, with wanton being used in the sense of sexual promiscuity. First attested in 1601.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.