wittol Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun an archaic term for a cuckold who knows about his wife's infidelity but tolerates it

WordNet

Wit"tol noun
Etymology
Said to be for white tail, and so called in allusion to its white tail; but cf. witwal.
Definitions
  1. (Zoöl.) The wheatear. Prov. Eng.
  2. A man who knows his wife's infidelity and submits to it; a tame cuckold; -- so called because the cuckoo lays its eggs in the wittol's nest. Obs. Shak.

Webster 1913