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wanton

Etymology and origin of the English word wanton

History

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈwɑntən/; /ˈwɒntən/ (UK)[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English wantowen,[2][3] from the prefix wan- “lacking, not”[2][4][5] and towen, past participle of teen “to train, discipline”,[2][4][5] from Old English tēon “to draw, lead”.[2][4][5] The basic notion is perhaps “ill-bred, poorly brought up”, compare German ungezogen “naughty”.[4] It is the sole modern survival of the prefix wan-.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

It first meant undisciplined, unruly or unmanageable, especially of children.[6][4]

Semantic evolution

By the late 14th century it was used especially of sexual indulgence,[4][6] at first only of women.[6] The sense “merciless, inhumane” followed in the 1510s,[4] and Shakespeare’s use for the cruelty of boys towards flies coloured later uses.[4][6] It also came to mean playful, and luxuriant or excessive.[2][3][1]

Timeline

  • a1300 – of persons, undisciplined;[6] Etymonline says early 14th century.[4]
  • 1393 – lascivious.[6]
  • 1509 – noun;[5] Etymonline gives the early 14th century for “one who is ill-behaved”.[4]
  • 1510s – merciless.[4]
  • 1582 – verb, to frolic.[6][5]
  • 1605 – Shakespeare’s “wanton boys”.[4][6]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Deliberately and needlessly cruel or malicious.
  2. Sexually unrestrained; lewd.
  3. Excessive or extravagant; luxuriant.
  4. (archaic) Playful; also undisciplined.

Noun

  1. A lewd or immoral person.
  2. A playful or pampered person.

Verb

  1. To behave wantonly; to frolic.
  2. To squander.

Word family

  • wantonly
  • wantonness
  • wantoner
  • unwanton

Related words

  • tow
  • tug
  • wane

References

  1. [1] [2] Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
  3. [1] [2] Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  4. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  5. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
Cite this entry

“Wanton.” Etymologically, 7 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/wanton. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on .