• wont •
Printable Version Pronunciation: wawnt • Hear it!
Part of Speech: Adjective, Noun, Verb
Meaning: [Adjective] 1. Accustomed, used to. 2. Inclined, apt, likely. [Noun] A habit or habitual way of doing things. [Verb transitive or intransitive] 1. To be in the habit of. 2. To become accustomed to or to accustom someone to something.
Notes: The good word today is slipping from the lingual grip of many of us—maybe because of confusion with the contraction of will not "won't". It is very versatile, working as an adjective, noun, or verb without any doodads or dangles added to either end: "He is wont to come in late" (adjective), "It is his wont to come in late" (noun), or "He wonts to come in late on Mondays."
In Play: We love to bring you lexical bargains and this word is a good one: three words for the price of one: "Everyone is wont to overeat over the holidays." The verb is also transitive, in which service it sounds a bit odd these days, "Let us first wont her to her new job, then we can see if her wonts are compatible with it."
Word History: This word is especially good for it is purely English—not drop of French or Latin blood in it. It comes from Middle English woned or wont, the past participle of wonen "to dwell, to be used to" (related to German wohnen "to live in, dwell"). Sanskrit vanoti "he strives for" is also a distant cousin. The Proto-Indo-European root was *won-, which, with the suffix, *-eye, became Old English wenian "to accustom" that dribbled down to Modern English as wean "to accustom a baby to eating rather than nursing."
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