Word of the day: Wonted

Wonted

[WAHN-təd]

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Middle English, early 15th century

Habitual; usual.

Examples of wonted in a sentence

"When Clara returned home, she slipped back into her wonted, quiet life."

"Stan knew his husband had a wonted morning routine."

About Wonted

This word is an adjective formation of “wont,” which means “in the habit of doing something; accustomed.” It comes from the Old English “wunod,” meaning “to dwell, inhabit, exist; be accustomed, be used to.” This stems from the Germanic “wohnen,” meaning “to dwell.”

Did you Know?

The homophones around "want," "wont,” and "wonted" can cause some confusion. Spoken, "wonted" sounds nearly identical to "wanted," so they can be easily mixed up. "Wont" (which can be used as a noun, adjective, or verb, relating to customary behavior) also sounds somewhat similar to the contraction "won’t," meaning "will not." However, the context for these words should be enough to clue you in on which version is being used.