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In my view, the Christian religion is the most important and one of the first things in which all children, under a free government ought to be instructed... No truth is more evident to my mind than that the Christian religion must be the basis of any government intended to secure the rights and privileges of a free people.
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1828 Noah Webster Dictionary
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1828.mshaffer.com › Word [wanton]

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wanton

WANTON, a.

1. Wandering or roving in gaiety or sport; sportive; frolicsome; darting aside, or one way and the other. Wanton boys kill flies for sport.

Not a wild and wanton herd.

2. Moving or flying loosely; playing in the wind.

She her unadorned golden tresses wore disheveld, but in wanton ringlets wavd.

3. Wandering from moral rectitude; licentious; dissolute; indulging in sensuality without restraint; as men grown wanton by prosperity.

My plenteous joys, wanton in fullness--

4. More appropriately, deviating from the rules of chastity; lewd; lustful; lascivious; libidinous.

Thou art froward by nature, enemy to peace, lascivious wanton.

Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton. James 5.

5. Disposed to unchastity; indicating wantonness. Isaiah 3.

6. Loose; unrestrained; running to excess.

How does your tongue grow wanton in her praise!

7. Luxuriant; overgrown.

What we by day lop overgrown, one night or two with wanton growth derides, tending to wild.

8. Extravagant; as wanton dress.

9. Not regular; not turned or formed with regularity.

The quaint mazes in the wanton green.

WANTON, n.

1. A lewd person; a lascivious man or woman.

2. A trifler; an insignificant flutterer.

3. A word of slight endearment.

Peace, my wanton--[Little used.]

WANTON, v.t.

1. To rove and ramble without restraint, rule or limit; to revel; to play loosely.

Nature here wantond as in her prime.

Her golden tresses wanton in the wind.

2. To ramble in lewdness; to play lasciviously.

3. To move briskly and irregularly.


Evolution (or devolution) of this word [wanton]

1828 Webster1844 Webster1913 Webster

WANTON, a.

1. Wandering or roving in gaiety or sport; sportive; frolicsome; darting aside, or one way and the other. Wanton boys kill flies for sport.

Not a wild and wanton herd.

2. Moving or flying loosely; playing in the wind.

She her unadorned golden tresses wore disheveld, but in wanton ringlets wavd.

3. Wandering from moral rectitude; licentious; dissolute; indulging in sensuality without restraint; as men grown wanton by prosperity.

My plenteous joys, wanton in fullness--

4. More appropriately, deviating from the rules of chastity; lewd; lustful; lascivious; libidinous.

Thou art froward by nature, enemy to peace, lascivious wanton.

Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton. James 5.

5. Disposed to unchastity; indicating wantonness. Isaiah 3.

6. Loose; unrestrained; running to excess.

How does your tongue grow wanton in her praise!

7. Luxuriant; overgrown.

What we by day lop overgrown, one night or two with wanton growth derides, tending to wild.

8. Extravagant; as wanton dress.

9. Not regular; not turned or formed with regularity.

The quaint mazes in the wanton green.

WANTON, n.

1. A lewd person; a lascivious man or woman.

2. A trifler; an insignificant flutterer.

3. A word of slight endearment.

Peace, my wanton--[Little used.]

WANTON, v.t.

1. To rove and ramble without restraint, rule or limit; to revel; to play loosely.

Nature here wantond as in her prime.

Her golden tresses wanton in the wind.

2. To ramble in lewdness; to play lasciviously.

3. To move briskly and irregularly.

WAN'TON, a. [W. gwantan, apt to run off; variable, fickle, wanton; gwantu, to thrust, to sever; allied probably to wander.]

  1. Wandering or roving in gayety or sport; sportive; frolicksome darting aside, or one way and the other. Wanton boys kill flies for sport. Note a wild and wanton herd. – Shak.
  2. Moving or flying loosely; playing in the wind. She / Her unadorned golden tresses wore / Dishevel'd, but in wanton ringlets wav'd. – Milton.
  3. Wandering from moral rectitude; licentious; dissolute; indulging in sensuality without restraint; as, men grown wanton by prosperity. – Roscommon. My plenteous joys / Wanton in fullness. – Shak.
  4. More appropriately, deviating from the rules of chastity; lewd; lustful; lascivious; libidinous. Thou art forward by nature, enemy to peace, / Lascivious, wanton. – Shak. Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton. – James v.
  5. Disposed to unchastity; indicating wantonness. – Isa. iii.
  6. Loose; unrestrained; running to excess. How does your tongue grow wanton in her praise! – Addison.
  7. Luxuriant; overgrown. What we by day lop overgrown, / One night or two with wanton growth derides, / Tending to wild. – Milton.
  8. Extravagant; as, wanton dress. – Milton.
  9. Not regular; not turned or formed with regularity. The quaint mazes in the wanton green. – Milton.

WAN'TON, n.

  1. A lewd person; a lascivious man or woman. – South. Shak.
  2. A trifler; an insignificant flutterer. – Shak.
  3. A word of slight endearment. Peace, my wanton. [Little used.] – B. Jonson.

WAN'TON, v.i.

  1. To rove and ramble without restrain; rule or limit; to revel; to play loosely. Nature here / Wanton'd as in her prime. – Milton. Her golden tresses wanton in the wind. – Anon.
  2. To ramble in lewdness; to play lasciviously. – Prior.
  3. To move briskly and irregularly.

Wan"ton
  1. Untrained; undisciplined; unrestrained; hence, loose; free; luxuriant; roving; sportive.

    "In woods and wanton wilderness." Spenser. "A wild and wanton herd." Shak.

    A wanton and a merry [friar]. Chaucer.

    [She] her unadorned golden tresses wore
    Disheveled, but in wanton ringlets waved.     Milton.

    How does your tongue grow wanton in her praise! Addison.

  2. A roving, frolicsome thing; a trifler; -- used rarely as a term of endearment.

    I am afeard you make a wanton of me. Shak.

    Peace, my wantons; he will do
    More than you can aim unto.     B. Jonson.

  3. To rove and ramble without restraint, rule, or limit] to revel; to play loosely; to frolic.

    Nature here wantoned as in her prime. Milton.

    How merrily we would sally into the fields, and strip under the first warmth of the sun, and wanton like young dace in the streams! Lamb.

  4. To cause to become wanton; also, to waste in wantonness.

    [Obs.]
  5. Wandering from moral rectitude; perverse; dissolute.

    "Men grown wanton by prosperity." Roscommon.
  6. One brought up without restraint; a pampered pet.

    Anything, sir,
    That's dry and wholesome; I am no bred wanton.     Beau. *** Fl.

  7. To sport in lewdness; to play the wanton; to play lasciviously.
  8. Specifically: Deviating from the rules of chastity; lewd; lustful; lascivious; libidinous; lecherous.

    Not with wanton looking of folly. Chaucer.

    [Thou art] froward by nature, enemy to peace,
    Lascivious, wanton.     Shak.

  9. A lewd person] a lascivious man or woman.
  10. Reckless; heedless; as, wanton mischief.
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Wanton

WANTON, adjective

1. Wandering or roving in gaiety or sport; sportive; frolicsome; darting aside, or one way and the other. wanton boys kill flies for sport.

Not a wild and wanton herd.

2. Moving or flying loosely; playing in the wind.

She her unadorned golden tresses wore disheveld, but in wanton ringlets wavd.

3. Wandering from moral rectitude; licentious; dissolute; indulging in sensuality without restraint; as men grown wanton by prosperity.

My plenteous joys, wanton in fullness--

4. More appropriately, deviating from the rules of chastity; lewd; lustful; lascivious; libidinous.

Thou art froward by nature, enemy to peace, lascivious wanton

Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton James 5:5.

5. Disposed to unchastity; indicating wantonness. Isaiah 3:16.

6. Loose; unrestrained; running to excess.

How does your tongue grow wanton in her praise!

7. Luxuriant; overgrown.

What we by day lop overgrown, one night or two with wanton growth derides, tending to wild.

8. Extravagant; as wanton dress.

9. Not regular; not turned or formed with regularity.

The quaint mazes in the wanton green.

WANTON, noun

1. A lewd person; a lascivious man or woman.

2. A trifler; an insignificant flutterer.

3. A word of slight endearment.

Peace, my wanton--[Little used.]

WANTON, verb transitive

1. To rove and ramble without restraint, rule or limit; to revel; to play loosely.

Nature here wantond as in her prime.

Her golden tresses wanton in the wind.

2. To ramble in lewdness; to play lasciviously.

3. To move briskly and irregularly.

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Word of the Day

importance

IMPORT'ANCE, n.

1. Weight; consequence; a bearing on some interest; that quality of any thing by which it may affect a measure, interest or result. The education of youth is of great importance to a free government. A religious education is of infinite importance to every human being.

2. Weight or consequence in the scale of being.

Thy own importance know.

Nor bound thy narrow views to things below.

3. Weight or consequence in self-estimation.

He believes himself a man of importance.

4. Thing implied; matter; subject; importunity. [In these senses, obsolete.]

Random Word

stick

STICK, n. [G. This word is connected with the verb to stick, with stock, stack, and other words having the like elements. The primary sense of the root is to thrust, to shoot, and to set.]

1. The small shoot or branch of a tree or shrub, cut off; a rod; also, a staff; as, to strike one with a stick.

2. Any stem of a tree, of any size, cut for fuel or timber. It is applied in America to any long and slender piece of timber, round or square, from the smallest size to the largest, used in the frames of buildings; as a stick of timber for a post, a beam or a rafter.

3. Many instruments, long and slender, are called sticks; as the composing stick of printers.

4. A thrust with a pointed instrument that penetrates a body; a stab.

Stick of eels, the number of twenty five eels. A bind contains ten sticks.

STICK, v.t. pret. and pp. stuck. [G., to sting or prick, to stick, to adhere.]

1. To pierce; to stab; to cause to enter, as a pointed instrument; hence, to kill by piercing; as, to stick a beast in slaughter. [A common use of the word.]

2. To thrust in; to fasten or cause to remain by piercing; as, to stick a pin on the sleeve.

3. To fasten; to attach by causing to adhere to the surface; as, to stick on a patch or plaster; to stick on a thing with paste or glue.

4. To set; to fix in; as, to stick card teeth.

5. To set with something pointed; as, to stick cards.

6. To fix on a pointed instrument; as, to stick an apple on a fork.

STICK, v.i.

1. To adhere; to hold to by cleaving to the surface, as by tenacity or attraction; as, glue sticks to the fingers; paste sticks to the wall, and causes paper to stick.

I will cause the fish of thy rivers to stick to thy scales. Ezekiel 29.

2. To be united; to be inseparable; to cling fast to, as something reproachful.

If on your fame our sex a blot has thrown, twill ever stick, through malice of your own.

3. To rest with the memory; to abide.

4. To stop; to be impeded by adhesion or obstruction; as, the carriage sticks in the mire.

5. To stop; to be arrested in a course.

My faltering tongue sticks at the sound.

6. To stop; to hesitate. He sticks at no difficulty; he sticks at the commission of no crime; he sticks at nothing.

7. To adhere; to remain; to resist efforts to remove.

I had most need of blessing, and amen stuck in my throat.

8. To cause difficulties or scruples; to cause to hesitate.

This is the difficulty that sticks with the most reasonable--

9. To be stopped or hindered from proceeding; as, a bill passed the senate, but stuck in the house of representatives.

They never doubted the commons; but heard all stuck in the lords house.

10. To be embarrassed or puzzled.

They will stick long at part of a demonstration, for want of perceiving the connection between two ideals.

11. To adhere closely in friendship and affection.

There is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. Proverbs 18.

To stick to, to adhere closely; to be constant; to be firm; to be persevering; as, to stick to a party or cause.

The advantage will be on our side, if we stick to its essentials.

To stick by,

1. To adhere closely; to be constant; to be firm in supporting.

We are your only friends; stick by us, and we will stick by you.

2. To be troublesome by adhering.

I am satisfied to trifle away my time, rather than let it stick by me.

To stick upon, to dwell upon; not to forsake.

If the matter be knotty, the mind must stop and buckle to it, and stick upon it with labor and thought. [Not elegant.]

To stick out, to project; to be prominent.

His bones that were not seen, stick out. Job 33.

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