Origin of wanton
1250–1300; Middle English
wantowen literally, undisciplined, ill-reared, Old English
wan- not +
togen past participle of
tēon to discipline, rear, cognate with German
ziehen, Latin
dūcere to lead; akin to
tow1
SYNONYMS FOR wanton
ANTONYMS FOR wanton
4, 5
restrained.
OTHER WORDS FROM wanton
wan·ton·ly, adverb wan·ton·ness, noun un·wan·ton, adjectiveWORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH wanton
wanton won tonWords nearby wanton
Example sentences from the Web for wanton
British Dictionary definitions for wanton
wanton
/ (ˈwɒntən) /
adjective
noun
a licentious person, esp a woman
a playful or capricious person
verb
(intr)
to behave in a wanton manner
(tr)
to squander or waste
Derived forms of wanton
wantonly, adverb wantonness, nounWord Origin for wanton
C13
wantowen (in the obsolete sense: unmanageable, unruly): from
wan- (prefix equivalent to
un-
1; related to Old English
wanian to
wane) +
-towen, from Old English
togen brought up, from
tēon to bring up