Meanings
wag-wanton1
plural wag-wantons
- UKcountableobsoleteregionaluncountablequaking grass: any of a genus, Briza, of grasses
Synonyms: wagwant
wag-wanton2
plural wag-wantons · alternative wagge-wanton
- UKobsoleteregionala sexually promiscuous person
comparative more wag-wanton · superlative most wag-wanton · alternative wagge-wanton
comparative more wag-wanton · superlative most wag-wanton · alternative wagge-wanton
- UKobsoleteregionalpromiscuously (indiscriminately or wantonly choosing one's sexual partners)
Well hit, but, to the fourth now: Wagge-wanton with his mistresse.
1604, N. Breton, Grimellos fortunesSynonyms: fornicator, promiscuous
Synonyms & antonyms
nounquaking grass: any of a genus, Briza, of grasses
adjectiveSynonym of wanton.
adverbrowdily (in a manner lacking order)
adverbpromiscuously (indiscriminately or wantonly choosing one's sexual partners)
Origin
wag-wanton · noun
Compound of wag + wanton, referring to the shaking of Briza flowers in the breeze.
Full word history & related roots →wag-wanton · noun, adjective, adverb
Formed independently as a compound from the etymology above, with wanton being used in the sense of sexual promiscuity. First attested in 1601.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
wag-wanton. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wag-wanton
“wag-wanton.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wag-wanton. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “wag-wanton,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/wag-wanton.
Source: wag-wanton on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.