wan-

lacking, deficient

1 / 1

A young woman deliberately kicks over a healthy flowering plant in a public planter while an older gardener reaches toward the falling pot in alarm.

adjective / noun

wanton

WAHN-tun/ˈwɑːntən/

Unrestrained by concern for consequences or accepted standards.

Etymology

wanOld Englishlacking, deficient

+tonOld Englishto train, discipline; pull

Lacking training or discipline perhaps originally suggested being poorly brought up. The early sense of being willful and resistant to control connects with the later sense of merciless disregard for harm.

Full entry

Related word entries

wanton