wag-wanton

English

Etymology 1

Compound of wag +‎ wanton, referring to the shaking of Briza flowers in the breeze.

Noun

wag-wanton (countable and uncountable, plural wag-wantons) (UK, regional, obsolete)

1. quaking grass: any of a genus, Briza, of grasses

   Synonym: wagwant

Etymology 2

Formed independently as a compound from the etymology above, with wanton being used in the sense of sexual promiscuity. First attested in 1601.

Alternative forms

• wagge-wanton

Noun

wag-wanton (plural wag-wantons) (UK, regional, obsolete)

1. a sexually promiscuous person

Adjective

wag-wanton (comparative more wag-wanton, superlative most wag-wanton) (UK, regional, obsolete)

1. Synonym of wanton.
   • c. 1568-1574, L. Barber, editor, Misogonus‎^[1], Routledge, published 2019, →ISBN, page 94:

     No man durst scarce this wag-wanton touch.

Adverb

wag-wanton (comparative more wag-wanton, superlative most wag-wanton) (UK, regional, obsolete)

1. rowdily (in a manner lacking order)
   • 1601, J. Deacon and J. Walker, Summarie Answere to Darel, page 72:

     [T]hen euery little childe that playeth wag-wanton […]

2. promiscuously (indiscriminately or wantonly choosing one's sexual partners)
   • 1604, N. Breton, Grimellos fortunes:

     Well hit, but, to the fourth now: Wagge-wanton with his mistresse.

Synonyms

• (promiscuous person): fornicator, rakehell; see also Thesaurus:promiscuous man and Thesaurus:promiscuous woman
• (lacking order): rowdily, disorderly; see also Thesaurus:disorderly
• (promiscuous): see Thesaurus:promiscuous

References

• William Dwight Whitney, Benjamin E[li] Smith, editors (1911), “wag-wanton”, in The Century Dictionary […], New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., →OCLC.