An archaic or dialectal variant of ataunt; used in a mocking or taunting manner.
A variant spelling of ataunt, possibly with influence from Spanish or Portuguese '-o' endings, or simply a regional dialect variation of the English archaic form.
The variety of archaic spellings like 'ataunto' versus 'ataunt' tells us that before dictionaries standardized English spelling, writers had much more freedom—and much more confusion—about the 'correct' way to write less common words.
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