wittol

[ wit-l ]

/ ˈwɪt l /

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noun Archaic.

a man who knows of and tolerates his wife's infidelity.

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Origin of wittol

1400–50; late Middle English wetewold, equivalent to wetewit² + (coke)woldcuckold

Words nearby wittol

Wittgensteinian, Wittgenstein, Ludwig, witticism, wittiness, witting, wittol, witty, Witwatersrand, wive, wivern, wives

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use wittol in a sentence

I should be sorry to interrupt the course of your pleasure; an old wittol should have more consideration of his condition.
The Fortunes of Nigel|Sir Walter Scott
She would not quit the estate and title of the wittol who had wedded her.
Kenilworth|Sir Walter Scott
Wittol, wit′ol, n. one who knows his wife's faithlessness, and submits to it.
Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements)|Various
Just: what though I called thee old ox, egregious wittol, broken-bellied coward, rotten mummy?
The Works of John Marston|John Marston

We jest had180 time to wittol the boats and stand for the shore.
The Wreck of the Grosvenor, Volume 2 of 3|William Clark Russell

British Dictionary definitions for wittol

wittol

/ (ˈwɪtəl) /

noun

obsolete a man who tolerates his wife's unfaithfulness

Word Origin for wittol

C15 wetewold, from witen to know (see wit ²) + -wold, perhaps from cokewold cuckold

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012