wittoln.
/ˈwɪtəl/ Obsolete or archaic.
1.
a. A man who is aware of and complaisant about the infidelity of his wife; a contented cuckold.
ΘΚΠ
society > morality > moral evil > licentiousness > unchastity > fornication, adultery, or incest > [noun] > adultery > husband of adulterous wife > complaisant husband
wittol1523
mari complaisant1877
14.. J. Lydgate Assembly of Gods 710 Wetewoldes that suffre syn in her syghtes.
1523 J. Skelton Goodly Garlande of Laurell sig. A.v Some carefull cokwoldes... Some famous wetewoldis, & they be moche wurs.
1597 Bp. J. Hall Virgidemiarum: 1st 3 Bks. i. vii. 16 Fond wit-wal that wouldst lode thy wit-lesse head With timely hornes.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Merry Wives of Windsor (1623) ii. ii. 288 But Cuckold, Wittoll, Cuckold? the Diuell himselfe hath not such a name. View more context for this quotation
a1645 W. Browne Circe & Ulysses (1954) ii. 18 Come yee whose hornes the cuckold weares, The whittoll too with asses eares.
1736 W. R. Chetwood Voy. W. O. G. Vaughan I. 151 [He] being a good-humour'd easy Man, and a Wittol to boot, at their Tears and Entreaties, forgave 'em both.
1819 Ld. Byron Don Juan: Canto I xcix. 52 A real husband [MS. wittol] always is suspicious.
1821 W. Scott Kenilworth III. xi. 213 She would not quit the estate and title of the wittol who had wedded her.
b. transferred (? with pun on wit-all.) One who has little sense; a half-witted person; a fool; occasionally a witling.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > lack of understanding > stupid, foolish, or inadequate person > foolish person, fool > fool, simpleton > [noun]
boinarda1300
daffc1325
goky1377
nicea1393
unwiseman1400
totc1425
alphinc1440
dawc1500
hoddypeak1500
dawpatea1529
hoddypolla1529
noddy1534
kimec1535
coxcomb1542
sheep1542
sheep's head1542
goose1547
dawcock1556
nodgecock1566
peak-goosea1568
hottie tottie?c1570
Tom Towly1582
wittol1588
goose-cap1589
nodgecomb1592
ninny1593
chicken1600
fopdoodle16..
hoddy-noddy1600
hoddy-doddy1601
peagoose1606
fopster1607
nazold1607
nupson1607
wigeon1607
fondrel1613
simpleton1639
pigwidgeon1640
simpletonian1652
Tony1654
nizy1673
Simple Simon?1673
Tom Farthing1674
totty-head1680
cockcomb1684
cod1699
nikin1699
sap-pate1699
simpkin1699
mackninnya1706
gilly-gaupus?1719
noodle1720
sapskull1735
gobbin?1746
Judy1781
zanya1784
spoony1795
sap-head1798
spoon1799
gomerel1814
sap1815
neddy1818
milestone1819
sunket1823
sunketa1825
gawp1825
gawpy1825
gawpus1826
Tomnoddy1826
Sammy1828
tammie norie1828
Tommy1828
gom1834
noodlehead1835
nowmun1854
gum-sucker1855
flat-head1862
peggy1869
noodledum1883
jay1884
toot1888
peanut head1891
simp1903
sappyhead1922
Arkie1927
putz1928
steamer1932
jerk-off1939
drongo1942
galah1945
Charley1946
nong-nong1959
mouth-breather1979
twonk1981
1588 J. Aske Elizabetha Triumphans To Rdr. sig. A3 They..are..accounted of as wittals, for spending their studies about such common deuises.
1599 T. Moffett Silkewormes 34 To see great wittols little things despise.
1639 J. Clarke Paroemiologia 151 He that's wicked is a witall [L. stultus].
1721 N. Amhurst Terræ-filius (1726) II. xxxix. 211 Heaven was crouded with religious punsters and witals.
1821 W. Scott Pirate III. ix. 205 He told them they should see what message he was about to send to the wittols [sc. the Mayor and Aldermen] of Kirkwall.
1866 C. Kingsley Hereward xxxiv Gospatric! the wittol! the wood-cock!
2. attributive. That is a wittol, pertaining to or characteristic of a wittol; transferred half-witted, senseless.
ΘΚΠ
society > morality > moral evil > licentiousness > unchastity > fornication, adultery, or incest > [adjective] > adulterous > dishonoured by wife's adultery > having character of dishonoured husband > complaisant
wittol1604
wittolly1605
the mind > mental capacity > lack of understanding > stupidity, dullness of intellect > [adjective]
sloweOE
stuntc960
dullOE
hardOE
stuntlyc1000
sotc1050
dillc1175
dulta1225
simplea1325
heavy1340
astonedc1374
sheepishc1380
dull-witteda1387
lourd1390
steerishc1411
ass-likea1425
brainless?a1439
deafc1440
sluggishc1450
short-witted1477
obtuse1509
peakish1519
wearish1519
deaf, or dumb as a beetle1520
doileda1522
gross1526
headlessa1530
stulty1532
ass-headed1533
pot-headed1533
stupid?1541
sheep's head1542
doltish1543
dumpish1545
assish1548
blockish1548
slow-witted1548
blockheaded1549
surd1551
dull-headed1552
hammer-headed1552
skit-brained?1553
buzzardly1561
witless1562
log-headeda1566
assy1566
sottish1566
dastardly1567
stupidious1567
beetle-headed1570
calvish1570
bluntish1578
cod's-headed1578
grout-headed1578
bedaft1579
dull-pated1580
blate1581
buzzard-like1581
long-eared1582
dullard1583
woodena1586
duncical1588
leaden-headed1589
buzzard1592
dorbellical1592
dunstical1592
heavy-headeda1593
shallow-brained1592
blunt-witted1594
mossy1597
Bœotian1598
clay-brained1598
fat1598
fat-witted1598
knotty-pated1598
stupidous1598
wit-lost1599
barren1600
duncifiedc1600
lourdish1600
stockish1600
thick1600
booby1603
leaden-pated1603
partless1603
thin-headed1603
leaden-skulledc1604
blockhead1606
frost-brained1606
ram-headed1608
beef-witted1609
insulse1609
leaden-spirited1609
asininec1610
clumse1611
blockheadly1612
wattle-headed1613
flata1616
logger-headeda1616
puppy-headeda1616
shallow-patedc1616
thick-brained1619
half-headed1621
buzzard-blinda1625
beef-brained1628
toom-headed1629
thick-witted1634
woollen-witted1635
squirrel-headed1637
clod-pated1639
lean-souled1639
muddy-headed1642
leaden-witteda1645
as sad as any mallet1645
under-headed1646
fat-headed1647
half-witted1647
insipid1651
insulsate1652
soft-headed1653
thick-skulleda1657
muddish1658
non-intelligent1659
whey-brained1660
sap-headed1665
timber-headed1666
leather-headeda1668
out of (one's) tree1669
boobily1673
thoughtless1673
lourdly1674
logger1675
unintelligenta1676
Bœotic1678
chicken-brained1678
under-witted1683
loggerhead1684
dunderheaded1692
unintelligible1694
buffle-headed1697
crassicc1700
numbskulled1707
crassous1708
doddy-polled1708
haggis-headed1715
niddy-noddy1722
muzzy1723
pudding-headed1726
sumphish1728
pitcher-souleda1739
duncey1743
hebete1743
chuckheaded1756
dumb1756
duncely1757
imbecile1766
mutton-headed1768
chuckle-headed1770
jobbernowl1770
dowfarta1774
boobyish1778
wittol1780
staumrel1787
opaquec1789
stoopid1791
mud-headed1793
borné1795
muzzy-headed1798
nog-headed1800
thick-headed1801
gypit1804
duncish1805
lightweight1809
numbskull1814
tup-headed1816
chuckle-pate1820
unintellectuala1821
dense1822
ninnyish1822
dunch1825
fozy1825
potato-headed1826
beef-headed1828
donkeyish1831
blockheadish1833
pinheaded1837
squirrel-minded1837
pumpkin-headed1838
tomfoolish1838
dundering1840
chicken-headed1842
like a bump on a log1842
ninny-minded1849
numbheadeda1852
nincompoopish1852
suet-brained1852
dolly1853
mullet-headed1853
sodden1853
fiddle-headed1854
numb1854
bovine1855
logy1859
crass1861
unsmart1861
off his chump1864
wooden-headed1865
stupe1866
lean-minded1867
duffing1869
cretinous1871
doddering1871
thick-head1873
doddling1874
stupido1879
boneheaded1883
woolly-headed1883
leaden-natured1889
suet-headed1890
sam-sodden1891
dopey1896
turnip-headed1898
bonehead1903
wool-witted1905
peanut-headed1906
peanut-brained1907
dilly1909
torpid-minded1909
retardate1912
nitwitted1917
meat-headed1918
mug1922
cloth-headed1925
loopy1925
nitwit1928
lame-brained1929
dead from the neck up1930
simpy1932
nail-headed1936
square-headed1936
dingbats1937
pinhead1939
dim-witted1940
pea-brained1942
clueless1943
lobotomized1943
retarded1949
pointy-headed1950
clottish1952
like a stunned mullet1953
silly (or crazy) as a two-bob watch1954
out to lunch1955
pin-brained1958
dozy1959
eejity1964
out of one's tiny mind1965
doofus1967
twitty1967
twittish1969
twatty1975
twattish1976
blur1977
dof1979
goofus1981
dickheaded1991
dickish1991
numpty1992
cockish1996
1604 J. Marston Malcontent iv. iii. sig. F2v And do I liue to be the skoffe of men, To be their wittall cuckold..?
1703 N. Rowe Fair Penitent iii. i If thou wou'dst live, Without the Name of credulous, wittal Husband, Avoid thy Bride.
1780 E. Burke Speech Oeconomical Reformation 76 What sums the nursing of that ill-thriven..and ill-favoured brat [sc. Nova Scotia], has cost to this wittol nation!
1797 E. Burke Third Let. Peace Regicide Directory France 70 There are cases in which we may pretend to sleep: but the wittol rule has some sense in it, Non omnibus dormio.
1810 Wirt in J. P. Kennedy Mem. (1860) I. xviii. 258 As one of Congreve's wittol squires said.., it is a pleasure I would as soon be without.
1869 J. R. Lowell Winter Evening Hymn iv And thy down-trod instincts savage To stealthy insurrection creep, While thy wittol masters sleep.
Derivatives
ΘΚΠ
society > morality > moral evil > licentiousness > unchastity > fornication, adultery, or incest > [verb (transitive)] > defile by adultery > dishonour husband by adultery
byhorec1440
hornc1550
behorn1574
Actaeon1582
to make to wear the stag's crest1591
cornute1597
adhorn1605
hornify1607
tup1608
capricornify1611
cornify1611
cuckolda1616
Vulcan1624
wittol1624
branch1633
shoehorn1638
capricorn1665
cuckoldize1682
to liquor (a person's) bootsa1704
ram-head1713
1624 R. Davenport City Night-cap i. i He would wittal me, With a consent to my own Horns.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1928; most recently modified version published online March 2020).
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