wanten

See also: Wanten

English

Etymology

From Middle English wanten, equivalent to want +‎ -en.

Verb

wanten

1. (obsolete, dialectal) plural simple present of want
   • 1688, Thomas Shadwell, “The Expoſtulation”, in The Squire of Alſatia. A Comedy, […] ‎^[1], London: James Knapton […] , page 22:

     […] Odsfleſh give me my awd Cloths againe; would I were a whome in my Frock, dreſſing of my Geldings; poore Tuts, they wanten me dearly, I warrant a.

   • 1879, Georgina F. Jackson, “GIGGLING, adj.”, in Shropshire Word-book: A Glossary of Archaic and Provincial Words, Etc., Used in the County‎^[2], London: Trübner & Company, page 507:

     Yo'd'n better nod get up o' that giglin' stool, athout yo' wanten yore bwunz broke.

   • 1881, Benjamin Brierly, “Fain”, in Ab-o'th'-yate's Dictionary: Or Walmsley Fowt Skoomester‎^[3], Manchester: Abel Heywood & Son, page 22:

     We say'n beg when we wanten someb'dy to tak no notice of what we'n said.

Dutch

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɑntən

Noun

wanten

1. plural of want

Middle English

Alternative forms

• wante
• want, wanton, whante (Late Middle English)
• waunte, wauntte (Northern)
• wonte, wonten, wonti, wontin (West Midlands)

Etymology

Borrowed from Old Norse vanta (“to be lacking”), from Proto-Germanic *wanatōną.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈwantən/
• (West Midlands) IPA^(key): /ˈwɔntən/, /ˈwɔntiː/

Verb

wanten (third-person singular simple present wanteth, present participle wantende, wantynge, first-/third-person singular past indicative and past participle wanted)

1. (usually transitive) To lack; to not have:
   1. (transitive) To require or need.
   2. (transitive) To lose or be divested of.
   3. (intransitive, rare) To be short of (an amount)
2. (intransitive or impersonal) To be lacking or deficient [with to or for or dative pronoun]

Conjugation

Conjugation of wanten (weak in -ed)

infinitive	(to) wanten, wante
	present tense	past tense
1st-person singular	wante	wanted
2nd-person singular	wantest	wantedest
3rd-person singular	wanteth	wanted
subjunctive singular	wante
imperative singular		—
plural1	wanten, wante	wanteden, wantede
imperative plural	wanteth, wante	—
participles	wantynge, wantende	wanted

¹ Sometimes used as a formal 2nd-person singular.

Descendants

• English: want
• Scots: want, wint, wunt
• Yola: waant

References

• “wanten, v.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.