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wittol

Archaic Terms
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

A man who tolerates or knowingly accepts his wife's infidelity; a complaisant cuckold who is aware of and permits his wife's adultery without protest or objection.

Detailed Definition
“Wittol” conveys complicit cuckoldry, common in satirical verse. It implies foolish tolerance. The term’s oddity enhances ridicule. Poets use it to explore marital betrayal or male weakness, where wittols enable vice, reinforcing themes of honor, deception, and the absurdity of permissiveness in comic and moralizing contexts.
Example
Example in poetry:
“The wittol laughed at his own shame,” in a satirical portrait; In Shakespeare’s Much Ado: “A wittol husband, who knows all and says nothing”; “Call him not fool—a wittol by choice”; “The wittol’s grin hid a dagger”; “She scorned the wittol’s peace”; The wittol’s silence was his crime.
Additional Notes
“Wittol” is a rare, scornful term for a complaisant cuckold; in city comedy or satirical verse, it critiques male passivity or complicity in marital betrayal, adding nuance to gender dynamics in Renaissance drama.
Also Known As
cuckold complaisant husband
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