Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

wittol

/ˈwɪtəl/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 0.00 in modern English

Syllables: wit-tol
IPA: /ˈwɪtəl/

9

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A man who knows and tolerates his wife's infidelity with another man or men; a mari complaisant.

Archaic

noun

A bird, the wheatear.

British usage; Obsolete

Example Sentences

"To see […] a wittol wink at his wife's honesty, and too perspicuous in all other affairs […]"
"So the Ifrit cried at her, "Thou whorest and makest me a wittol with thine eyes;" and struck her so that her head went flying."
"God help the husband that obliges his wife's least whim: he'll be a wittol ere he's two years wed!"

Etymology

From Middle English witewold; likely a blend of witen (“to know”) + cockewold (“cuckold”), equivalent to wit + cuckold.

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: witewold

Usage

Inflected Forms

wittols (plural) wittold (alternative)

Derived Forms

wittolly

Phrases

mari complaisant

Frequently Paired Words

cuckold cuckquean mari complaisant wittoldry

Homonyms

whittle

Rhymes With

little it'll brittle acquittal belittle whittle committal jot and tittle spittle sagittal skittle victual

Questions

How do you pronounce wittol?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈwɪtəl/.
What does wittol mean?: A man who knows and tolerates his wife's infidelity with another man or men; a mari complaisant.
Where does wittol come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce wittol

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “wittol”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈwɪtəl/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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