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Wanton
Definitions
- 1 Undisciplined, unruly; not able to be controlled. archaic
"As Flies to wanton Boyes are we to th' Gods, / They kill us for their sport."
- 2 Playful, sportive; merry or carefree. obsolete
"The grave simplicity of the philosopher was ill calculated to engage her wanton levity, or to fix that unbounded passion for variety, which often discovered personal merit in the meanest of mankind."
- 3 Lewd, immoral; sexually open, unchaste.
"if wenches will hang out lures for fellows, it is no matter what they suffer: I detest such creatures; and it would be much better for them that their faces had been seamed with the smallpox: but I must confess I never saw any of this wanton behaviour in poor Jenny [...]."
- 4 Capricious, reckless of morality, justice etc.; acting without regard for the law or the well-being of others; gratuitous.
"Edward himself, now thoroughly enlightened on her character, had no scruple in believing her capable of the utmost meanness of wanton ill-nature."
- 5 Extravagant, unrestrained, excessive. archaic
"the market price will rise more or less above the natural price, according as either the greatness of the deficiency, or the wealth and wanton luxury of the competitors, happen to animate more or less the eagerness of the competition."
- 1 casual and unrestrained in sexual behavior wordnet
- 2 occurring without motivation or provocation wordnet
- 1 A pampered or coddled person.
"I would have thee gone — / And yet no farther than a wanton's bird, / That lets it hop a little from her hand, / Like a poor prisoner in his twisted gyves, / And with a silken thread plucks it back again[…]"
- 2 wonton (Chinese dumpling) Philippines, Singapore
"Add wanton, chives and vegetables to broth and season with 1 tablespoon salt, ½ teaspoon sesame oil, and 1 chicken cube."
- 3 lewd or lascivious woman wordnet
- 4 An overly playful person; a trifler.
"you but dally, / I pray you passe with your best violence, / I am afeard you make a wanton of me."
- 5 A self-indulgent person, fond of excess.
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- 6 A lewd or immoral person, especially a prostitute. archaic
"...paints with tremendous force the adulteries of the two wantons Aholah and Aholibah, Israel and Judah, and their love of strangers..."
- 1 To rove and ramble without restraint, rule, or limit; to revel; to play loosely; to frolic. intransitive
"[…] We will fetch thee straight / Adonis painted by a running brook, / And Cytherea all in sedges hid, / Which seem to move and wanton with her breath / Even as the waving sedges play wi’ th’ wind."
- 2 behave extremely cruelly and brutally wordnet
- 3 To waste or squander, especially in pleasure (most often with away). transitive
"The young man wantoned away his inheritance."
- 4 engage in amorous play wordnet
- 5 To act wantonly; to be lewd or lascivious. intransitive
"Be loving and courteous to your fellow Servants, not gigling or idling out your time, or wantoning in the society of men […]"
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- 6 become extravagant; indulge (oneself) luxuriously wordnet
- 7 spend wastefully wordnet
- 8 indulge in a carefree or voluptuous way of life wordnet
- 9 waste time; spend one's time idly or inefficiently wordnet
Etymology
From Middle English wantoun, wantowen, wantoȝen, wantowe (“uneducated; unrestrained; licentious; sportive; playful”), from wan- (“not, un-, mis-”) + towen, i-towen (“educated”, literally “towed; led; drawn”), from Old English togen, ġetogen, past participle of tēon (“to train, discipline”), equivalent to wan- + towed.
From Middle English wantoun, wantowen, wantoȝen, wantowe (“uneducated; unrestrained; licentious; sportive; playful”), from wan- (“not, un-, mis-”) + towen, i-towen (“educated”, literally “towed; led; drawn”), from Old English togen, ġetogen, past participle of tēon (“to train, discipline”), equivalent to wan- + towed.
From Middle English wantoun, wantowen, wantoȝen, wantowe (“uneducated; unrestrained; licentious; sportive; playful”), from wan- (“not, un-, mis-”) + towen, i-towen (“educated”, literally “towed; led; drawn”), from Old English togen, ġetogen, past participle of tēon (“to train, discipline”), equivalent to wan- + towed.
Borrowed from Cantonese 雲吞 /云吞 (wan⁴ tan¹).
See also for "wanton"
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