witwanton

noun

Etymology

From wit + wanton.

  1. inherited from togen
  2. inherited from wantoun
  3. compounded as witwanton — “wit + wanton

Definitions

  1. One who indulges in idle, foolish, and irreverent fancies or speculations

    One who indulges in idle, foolish, and irreverent fancies or speculations; one who tries to be cleverly amusing but falls short.

    • All epicures, witwantons, atheists.
    • And how dangerous it is for wit-wanton men to dance with their nice distinctions, on such mystical precipices, where slips in jest may cause deadly downfalls in earnest, …
    • Word-warriors and wit-wantons would waste their breath upon one whose book-hunger has won him so rich a meed, ...
  2. To indulge in vain, sportive, or irreverent wit

    To indulge in vain, sportive, or irreverent wit; speculate idly or irreverently.

    • … a citizen in Cheapside was executed as a traitor for saying he would make his son heir to the crown, though he only meant his own house, having a crown for the sign, more dangerous it is to wit-wanton it with the Majesty of God.
    • Wit-wanton it with lewd barbarity, …
    • And Master Lynch bade him have a care to flout and witwanton as the god self was angered for his hellprate and paganry.

The neighborhood

Vish — recursive loop

No curated loop yet for witwanton. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.

sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA