Wittol
/ˈwɪt.əl/noun
A man who knows his wife is unfaithful and tolerates it.
Did you know?The word is historically tied to cuckoldry and likely comes from an old sense of *wit* meaning “to know,” so the insult bakes awareness and humiliation into one term.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
witan
“to know”
Middle English
ME
witelen / wittol
“a man aware of his wife's infidelity”
16th Century
English
wittol
“a cuckold who tolerates his wife's adultery”
Modern English
English
wittol
“a man who knows and endures his wife's unfaithfulness”