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wont (wônt, wōnt, wŭnt)
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adj.
1. Accustomed or used: "The poor man is wont to complain that this is a cold world" (Henry David Thoreau).
2. Likely: chaotic as holidays are wont to be.
n.
Customary practice; usage. See Synonyms at habit.
v. wont or wont·ed, wont·ing, wonts
Archaic
v.tr.
To make accustomed to.
v.intr.
To be in the habit of doing something.

[Middle English, past participle of wonen, to be used to, dwell; see WON1.]

Usage Note: The most traditionally correct pronunciations of wont are (wōnt), the common pronunciation in Britain, sounding like the contraction won't, and (wŭnt), the historic American pronunciation, rhyming with hunt. However, the most common form of wont in contemporary American speech is probably (wônt), which to most people's ears sounds similar to (or even identical with) the word want. This (wônt) pronunciation may in fact be motivated by a confusion of the meanings of wont and want, both of which have to do with personal inclination. In any case, all three of these pronunciations are acceptable, though the historic (wŭnt) pronunciation may strike some listeners as odd or affected.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.
 

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

    Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

    Indo-European Roots

    Semitic Roots

    The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.