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Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

witwanton en · NOUN

Etymology

From wit + wanton.

Meanings

  1. (archaic) 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. 1613, Josuah Sylvester, Lachrymae Lachrymarum:
    • 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, … 1655, Thomas Fuller, “4, A.D. 1611--1619”, in The Church History of Britain from the Birth of Jesus Christ until the Year MDCXLVIII, Book 10:
    • The witwanton is always a little off in trying to be always GETTING MENTAL. 1986, David Grambs, Dimboxes, epopts, and other quidams:
    • Word-warriors and wit-wantons would waste their breath upon one whose book-hunger has won him so rich a meed, ... 1855, Thomas Carlyle, Fraser's magazine, Volume 52, Digitized edition, published 2005, page 345:
    • WITWANTON: One who tries to be cleverly amusing, but misses the mark. 2003, Robert M. Jarvis, Amicus Humoriae: An Anthology of Legal Humor, Carolina Academic Press, →ISBN, page 97:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
wit-wanton alternative lexicographic
witwantons Number=Plur lexicographic

witwanton en · VERB

Etymology

From wit + wanton.

Meanings

  1. (archaic) To indulge in vain, sportive, or irreverent wit; speculate idly or irreverently.
    • Nor I will not suffer mine indignation so to witwanton with fair justice as persuade me to put the wite on Witchland. 1922, E[ric] R[ücker] Eddison, chapter 209, in The Worm Ouroboros: A Romance, London: Jonathan Cape […], →OCLC:
    • And Master Lynch bade him have a care to flout and witwanton as the god self was angered for his hellprate and paganry. 1922, James Joyce, Ulysses, HTML edition, The Gutenberg Project, published 2008:
    • Wit-wanton it with lewd barbarity, … 1839, Rober Southey, The poetical works of Robert Southey, Digitized edition, D. Appleton, published 2008, page 88:
    • … 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. 1834, William Chambers, Robert Chambers, Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, Digitized edition, W. Orr, published 2007, page 32:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
witwantoned Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
witwantoned Tense=Past lexicographic
witwantons Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic
wit-wanton alternative lexicographic
witwantoning Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic