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

OTHER WORDS FROM wanton

wan·ton·ly, adverb wan·ton·ness, noun un·wan·ton, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH wanton

wanton won ton

Words 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, noun

Word 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