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单词 will
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willn.1

Brit. /wɪl/, U.S. /wɪl/
Forms: Old English uillo (Northumbrian), Old English willo (Northumbrian), Old English wilna (genitive plural), Old English wylla, Old English–early Middle English willa, Old English–1600s wyll, Old English (rare) Middle English–1600s wil, Old English– will, Middle English ville, Middle English vuille, Middle English weele, Middle English wel, Middle English wele, Middle English well, Middle English welle, Middle English wile, Middle English woll, Middle English wolle, Middle English wule, Middle English wulle, Middle English wyle, Middle English–1600s wyl, Middle English–1600s wylle, Middle English–1600s wille; Scottish pre-1700 uill, pre-1700 vil, pre-1700 vill, pre-1700 vyl, pre-1700 vyll, pre-1700 wil, pre-1700 wile, pre-1700 woll, pre-1700 wyl, pre-1700 wyll, pre-1700 wylle, pre-1700–1700s will, 1800s– wull.
Origin: A word inherited from Germanic.
Etymology: Cognate with Old Frisian willa (West Frisian wille ), Old Dutch willo (Middle Dutch wille , Dutch wil ), Old Saxon willio (Middle Low German wille ), Old High German willo (Middle High German wille , German Wille ), Old Icelandic vili (Icelandic vilji ), Old Swedish vili (Swedish vilja ), Old Danish (oblique form) wilia (Danish vilje ), Gothic wilja (all weak masculine), also (strong neuter) Old Icelandic vil < the same Germanic base as will v.1In Old English the word commonly inflects as a weak masculine (willa ); strong neuter will is attested chiefly in inflected forms (typically in adverbial phrases; compare especially Phrases 1 and also willes adv.). Compare prefixed i-will n., which usually inflects as a strong neuter. For early use in compounds in senses corresponding to branch I. see wil- comb. form.
I. Senses relating to wishing or desiring.
1.
a. Desire, wish, longing; inclination or disposition (to do something). Now only as merged in sense 5.Also sometimes difficult to distinguish from sense 3.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > wish or inclination > desire > [noun] > object of desire
willeOE
desire1340
appetitec1386
flight1530
optative1605
catch1609
desiderate1640
desirable1645
desideratuma1651
eligible1656
appetible1715
lookout1795
desideration1836
ooh-ah1957
eOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Otho) (2009) I. xxv. 496 G[if] twegen men fundiað to anre stowe [and h]abbað emnmicelne willan to to cu[m]enne.
OE Beowulf (2008) 635 Þæt ic anunga eowra leoda willan geworhte.
?c1250 (?c1175) Poema Morale (Egerton) l. 342 in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 179 Þe brode stret is vre iwil ðe is us lod for to lete þe ðe al folewed his wil, fared bi þusse strete.
c1350 (a1333) William of Shoreham Poems (1902) 16 Ac nou þat wil þat is to gode His al iset bi-hinde.
1487 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (St. John's Cambr.) xv. 79 I trow that he Sall haf no gret will for to ficht.
1569 R. Grafton Chron. I. vii. 91 As he and his Souldiours had no will to marrie the daughters of the Frenchmen.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Two Gentlemen of Verona (1623) i. iii. 63 My will is something sorted with his wish. View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Julius Caesar (1623) iii. iii. 3 I haue no will to wander foorth of doores, Yet something leads me foorth. View more context for this quotation
b. An inclination to do something, as contrasted with the power or opportunity. Now only as merged in sense 5.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > wish or inclination > desire > wishing > [noun] > a wish > mere
willeOE
woulda1393
velleity1624
eOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Otho) (2009) I. xxvii. 508 Se yfla willa bið tostenced swaþær rec beforan fyre gif mon ðæt weorc þurgtion ne mæg.
?c1400 (c1380) G. Chaucer tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (BL Add. 10340) (1868) iv. pr. iv. l. 3539 Eueryche of þise þinges haþe [emended in ed. to haþ] hys wrecchednesse, þat is to seyne wil to done yuel, and moeuynge to done yuel.
1594 T. Kyd tr. R. Garnier Cornelia iii. iii Shee hath not onely power and will T'abuse the vulgar wanting skill.
a1645 W. Browne tr. M. Le Roy Hist. Polexander (1647) iii. iv. 113 The Queene..is perswaded I have serv'd her because I had a will to it.
1667 Earl of Orrery Coll. State Lett. (1742) 308 They desired the power, and want not the will, to do us an ill turn.
1751 S. Johnson Rambler No. 178. ⁋14 Great Numbers who quarrel with their Condition have wanted not the Power but the Will to obtain a better State.
1819 W. Scott Bride of Lammermoor xi, in Tales of my Landlord 3rd Ser. II. 270 Your lordship..will experience that the faculty of the present proprietor to entertain his friends is greatly abridged,..the will, I need hardly say, remains the same.
†2. Physical desire or appetite; esp. (and usually in later use) sexual desire. Cf. desire n. 2. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > sexual relations > sexual desire > [noun]
willOE
loveOE
likinga1200
jollityc1330
desirec1340
fire1340
naturec1387
ragea1425
pride1486
lovered1487
Venus1513
courage1541
passion1648
lusting1760
philogenitiveness1815
body-urge1930
hots1940
hard-on1949
OE Blickling Homilies 19 Þa flæsclican willan & þa ungereclican uncysta.
OE tr. Medicina de Quadrupedibus (Vitell.) ix. 262 Weres wylla to gefremmanne [L. ad voluptatem viri], nime bares geallan & smyre mid þone teors & þa hærþan.
a1325 St. Gregory (Corpus Cambr.) l. 8 in C. D'Evelyn & A. J. Mill S. Eng. Legendary (1956) 81 Al þe wille he hadde forlore of drinke & of mete.
a1450 Rule St. Benet (Vesp.) (1902) l. 37 All fleschly wyll for to for-sak.
1594 W. Shakespeare Lucrece sig. C3 Thus..holds he disputation, Tweene frozen conscience and hot burning will . View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Measure for Measure (1623) ii. iv. 164 Redeeme thy brother, By yeelding vp thy bodie to my will . View more context for this quotation
1694 tr. O. G. de Busbecq Four Epist. conc. Embassy into Turkey iii. 180 She refused to submit to his Will any longer, unless he Married her, which he, doting for Love, wou'd do.
1865 F. H. Ramsbotham Princ. & Pract. Obstetr. Med. & Surg. (ed. 5) 524 Immediately after her husband had left his bed, a negro entered her room and threatened to murder her if she did not consent, forced her to submit to his will.
3.
a. That which a person desires, (one's) desire. Chiefly as object of to have. Often followed by of indicating the person affected. Also (chiefly Scottish) in plural, in to have (also get) one's wills (obsolete). Now archaic or poetic.
ΚΠ
eOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Otho) (2009) I. xix. 461 Siððan [he þæs welan full bið, þonne þincð] him þæt he hæbbe ælcne willan gif he hæ[b]be anwald.
lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) anno 1097 Se cyng geseah þet he nan þingc his willes þær geforðian ne mihte.
a1350 in G. L. Brook Harley Lyrics (1968) 39 Haue ȝe or wyl, ȝe waxeþ vnwraste.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 26880 Þe warlau sal noght in þis man Haue sa mikel of his will, Als if he desseli did ill.
?1507 W. Dunbar Tua Mariit Wemen (Rouen) in Poems (1998) I. 50 Quhill I oucht wantit of my will or quhat I wald desir.
1594 W. Shakespeare Lucrece sig. B4 The sundrie dangers of his wils obtaining. View more context for this quotation
1611 W. Adams Let. in T. Rundall Mem. Japon (1850) 25 God..would not suffer them to haue their willes of vs.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 3 (1623) i. iv. 145 Would'st haue me weepe? why now thou hast thy will . View more context for this quotation
1693 J. Locke Some Thoughts conc. Educ. §35 He had the Will of his Maid before he could Speak or Go.
1798 S. T. Coleridge Anc. Marinere i, in W. Wordsworth & S. T. Coleridge Lyrical Ballads 6 The wedding guest..listens like a three year's child; The Marinere hath his will.
1828 P. Buchan Anc. Ballads & Songs N. Scotl. I. 242 When he had got his wills o' her, And his wills he had ta'en.
1865 A. C. Swinburne Atalanta in Calydon 929 Have all thy will of words; talk out thine heart.
1896 A. E. Housman Shropshire Lad xxv. 36 A lad that lives and has his will Is worth a dozen dead.
1924 Swatches o' Hamespun 4th Ser. 19 Gin aul lucky hid her wulls o's, we'd be as bare as the laads at Teuchatslap.
1999 I. Edghill Queenmaker (2003) vi. 82 So the shepherd's son is a king in the land, and Samuel has had his will at last.
†b. A desire or wish as expressed in a request; hence (contextually) the expression of a wish, a request, petition (sometimes passing into the sense ‘a command’: see sense 7). Frequently in what's your will?: ‘What do you want?’, ‘What do you wish me to do?’ (in later use Scottish, often as a polite enquiry). Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > speech > request > [noun] > desire or wish
willOE
yering13..
wishing1377
desirea1400
wish1513
OE Ælfric Lives of Saints (Julius) (1881) I. 160 Se cyning ða geþafode þam þegne his willan.
?a1300 Iacob & Iosep (Bodl.) (1916) l. 68 Þat child..axeþ him wel feire wat his wille be.
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 138 Þanne zayþ he..þet he y-herþ þe benes, and þe wylles of þe poure.
c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy (2002) f. 32 When castor hade clanly consayuit his wille He onsward hym honestly with orryng a litill.
a1586 King Hart l. 445 in W. A. Craigie Maitland Folio MS (1919) I. 268 May thow nocht heir langar how I culd schout Quhat war ȝour will I will cum in but dout.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Two Gentlemen of Verona (1623) iv. ii. 89 Sil. What's your will? Pro. That I may compasse yours. Sil. You haue your wish: my will is euen this, That presently you hie you home to bed. View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Antony & Cleopatra (1623) i. ii. 6 Alex. Soothsayer. Sooth. Your will? Char. Is this the Man? Is't you sir that know things? View more context for this quotation
1775 R. B. Sheridan Rivals v. iii Tell me now, Mr. Acres, in case of an accident, is there any little will or commission I could execute for you?
1826 J. Galt Last of Lairds i. 5 When..one of the lasses looks from behind it, and says, ‘What's your wull and pleasure?’
1909 S. R. Crockett Rose of Wilderness xxv. 301 This..would have made the lower jaws of the McClintock lassies drop..‘Weel, mem, and what's yer wull!’ being the amount of ‘mainners’ that could be expected of them.
4. Pleasure, delight, joy. Since early modern English chiefly in to have no will of, (also †in): to take no pleasure in, have no liking for. Now Scottish. Sc. National Dict. (at cited word) records the phrase as still in use in north-eastern Scotland in 1974.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > pleasure > joy, gladness, or delight > [noun]
merrinesseOE
gladnessc900
mirtheOE
playeOE
dreamOE
gladshipc975
lissOE
willOE
hightOE
blithenessc1000
gladc1000
winOE
blissc1175
delices?c1225
delight?c1225
joy?c1225
comfortc1230
listc1275
gladhead1303
daintyc1325
fainnessc1340
lightnessa1350
delectationc1384
delightingc1390
comfortationa1400
fainheada1400
blithec1400
fainc1400
delicacyc1405
gladsomeness1413
reveriea1425
joyousitiea1450
joyfulnessc1485
jucundity1536
joyousness1549
joc1560
delightfulness1565
jouissance1579
joyance1590
levitya1631
revelling1826
chuckle1837
joyancy1849
a song in one's heart1862
delightsomeness1866
the world > physical sensation > physical sensibility > sensuous pleasure > sensuality > [noun] > sensual pleasure
willOE
pleasure1526
flesh-delight1605
the mind > emotion > hatred > dislike > [verb (transitive)]
mislikea1225
to like illa1350
to have no fancy with1465
mislovec1485
abominec1500
not to look ata1529
to have no will of, (also in)1548
misaffect1586
to have or take a stitch againsta1591
dislike1593
to take (a) toy to (also at)1598
disfavour1599
disgust1601
disaffect1609
mistaste1613
disrelisha1616
dispalate1630
abominate1652
disfancy1657
to have it in for1825
to have a down on1835
to sour on1862
to go off ——1877
derry1896
OE Andreas (1932) 356 Forgife þe dryhten domweorðunga, willan in worulde ond in wuldre blæd.
OE Beowulf (2008) 824 Denum eallum wearð æfter þam wælræse willa gelumpen.
a1250 Ureisun ure Lefdi (Nero) in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 193 Inouh liues wil and eche pleie.
a1350 in G. L. Brook Harley Lyrics (1968) 29 Þis wilde wille went awai wiþ mone ant mournyng muchel vnmete.
c1450 in F. J. Furnivall Hymns to Virgin & Christ (1867) 2 Ful goodli oure lippis þan gan mete, With briȝt braunchis as blosmes on hille. Fanus distillans it wente with wille.
1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. (Luke xxvi.) f. cxcv Malachias spoke afore in the spirite of Prophecie: I haue no wyll in you [Mal. 1: 10].
c1590 R. Bruce Eleven Serm. (1591) 127 But gif sa be that we have na will of Him, that we have na love nor liking of Him..Then we reject Him.
1610 Bible (Douay) II. Mal. i. 10 I have no wil in you.
c1626 E. Meluill Let. in W. K. Tweedie Select Biogr. (1845) I. 353 I have na will of strangers.
1871 W. Alexander Johnny Gibb xxii. 161 Na, man; I hinna will o't.
1969 Huntly Express 27 June in Sc. National Dict. (1976) X. (at cited word) I hinna will that the mannie's ower fou.
II. Senses relating to intention.
5.
a. The action of willing or deciding to do something; the exercising of the mind with conscious intention towards initiating a chosen action; volition.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > [noun] > exercise of the will
willOE
willing1340
volition1660
the mind > will > intention > [noun]
willOE
thought?c1225
willing1340
intentionc1430
OE Blickling Homilies 35 We eac agyltaþ þurh feower þing, þurh geþoht, & þurh word, & þurh weorc, & þurh willan.
a1250 (?c1200) Hali Meiðhad (Titus) (1940) l. 123 Ga ut þrof wið wil of þin heorte.
c1405 (c1395) G. Chaucer Merchant/Franklin Link (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 27 I wol seye as I kan [Wi]th hertly wyl.
c1475 in C. L. Kingsford Stonor Lett. & Papers (1919) I. 160 Yff..he wull geve hys dowttyr hys part of Snowys well.., I wold with the glader wyll dele with hym.
a1640 J. Fletcher et al. Queene of Corinth iii. ii, in F. Beaumont & J. Fletcher Comedies & Trag. (1647) sig. Bbbbbb3/2 You know well Even actuall sins committed without will, Are neither sins nor shame.
1743 E. Young Complaint: Night the Fourth 35 But since the naked Will obtains thy Smile, Beneath this Monument of Praise unpaid.
1831 G. P. R. James Philip Augustus xxviii He strove to speak, but no voice answered his will.
1861 J. S. Mill Utilitarianism iv. 59 Will, the active phenomenon, is a different thing from desire, the state of passive sensibility.
1990 Henry James Rev. 11 126 James pictures Singleton in his signature pose..his back bent over his work and his will bent on the improvement of his art and his life.
2018 Mercury (S. Afr.) (Nexis) 26 July (E1 ed.) 7 The Chennai-based activist has overcome her disability by sheer will.
†b. Intention, intent, purpose, or determination; an instance of this. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > intention > [noun] > intention or purpose > end, purpose, or object
willeOE
errand?c1225
purposec1300
endc1305
emprisec1330
intentc1340
use1340
conclusionc1374
studya1382
pointc1385
causec1386
gamea1393
term?c1400
businessc1405
finec1405
intentionc1410
object?a1425
obtent?a1475
drift1526
intend1526
respect1528
flight1530
finality?1541
stop1551
scope1559
butt?1571
bent1579
aiming point1587
pursuitc1592
aim1595
devotion1597
meaning1605
maina1610
attempt1610
design1615
purport1616
terminusa1617
intendment1635
pretence1649
ettle1790
big (also great) idea1846
objective1878
objective1882
the name of the game1910
the object of the exercise1958
thrust1968
eOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Otho) (2009) I. xxv. 499 Ðeah hi ðæt weorc ne mægen fullfremman, [hi habb]að ðeah fullne willan, & se untw[eo]fealda willa bið to dælanne [read tellanne] for fullfremed weorc.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 4300 Al-swa heo þus leien stille & bi-diemden heore wille, þer com þe king riden.
c1390 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Bodl. 902) viii. l. 3037* With al the wil that I mai yive.
1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. xxxix. 22/2 Whan the flemynges..sawe the fierse wylles of them within.
c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy (2002) f. 66 Þai wetyn full wele þe wyllys of vs here That we purpos a pouer to put in hor lond.
1619 J. Taylor Kicksey Winsey sig. B2 Your wills are good, and whilst I keepe your bills Instead of paiment I accept good wills.
1844 A. W. Kinglake Eothen vii. 103 There was a will, and a longing, more imperious than mere curiosity.
c. A deliberate or fixed desire, intention, or determination to do something. See also will to live n. (b) at Compounds 3, will to win n. at Compounds 3.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > decision > resolution or determination > [noun]
willOE
businessa1387
wilfulnessc1386
restc1400
point1477
appointmenta1535
firmitude?1541
resoluteness?1560
resolve1592
resolution1594
constancy1603
resolvance1603
resolvedness1611
intensiona1619
determinateness1652
decisiveness1714
determinedness1747
decision1770
decidedness1800
setness1818
determinativeness1821
determination1822
virtu1876
the courage of one's convictions or opinions1878
self-determination1890
adamancy1898
drivenness1902
adamance1925
OE Handbk. for Use of Confessor (Corpus Cambr. 201) in Anglia (1965) 83 18 Ic..eom on clænre and on soðre andetnesse, and on godan willan to gebetenne ealle mine sinna.
c1480 (a1400) St. George 1 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) II. 176 Ȝete of sancte george is my wil,..to translat þe haly story.
1530 Myroure Oure Ladye (Fawkes) (1873) ii. 267 Hou we oughte..to say that salutacion wyth wylle to leue synne and to do good dedes.
1671 J. Dancer tr. P. Corneille Nicomede iv. iii. 41 To show my will to pleasure you, Yet with respect not to offend her too, I answer without frivolous delay.
1712 J. Arbuthnot Lewis Baboon iv. iii. 14 My Will at present is to have Dinner.
1836 C. Dickens Pickwick Papers (1837) xvii. 178 Don't stop him, Maria..if he has the will to strike me, let him.
1879 J. A. Froude Cæsar x. 111 No one questioned that it could be done if there was a will to do it.
1896 A. E. Housman Shropshire Lad xxxiii. 48 This long and sure-set liking, This boundless will to please.
1917 J. Martin Diary 21 Nov. in Sapper Martin (2010) 138 Even the most severely enforced restrictions can be surmounted or undermined where one has the will to do it.
2003 N.Y. Rev. Bks. 27 Feb. 10/3 It focuses on the psychological destruction of the enemy's will to fight rather than the physical destruction of his military forces.
6.
a. The faculty by which a person exercises his or her capacity for initiating conscious and intentional action; power of choice in regard to action. See also free will n. 2.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > [noun]
hearteOE
willOE
wilhede1340
volition1738
voluntary faculty1867
OE Ælfric Catholic Homilies: 1st Ser. (Royal) (1997) xx. 342 Of þam willan cumað geþohtas, and word & weorc.
lOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Bodl.) (2009) I. xiv. 269 Ge..hwæthwega godcundlices on eowerre saule habbað, þæt is andgit and gemynd and se gesceadwislica willa þæt hine þara twega lyste.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 11509 Wille iss hire þridde mahht Þurrh whatt menn immess ȝeornenn.
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) iii. l. 1282 Thi will is thi principal, And hath the lordschipe of thi witt.
a1538 T. Starkey Dial. Pole & Lupset (1989) 20 Ever the wyl chesyth the yl & levyth the gud.
1593 R. Hooker Of Lawes Eccl. Politie i. vii. 60 Appetite is the wills sollicitor, and the will is appetites controller; what we couet according to the one, by the other we often reiect.
1600 W. Shakespeare Midsummer Night's Dream ii. ii. 115 The will of man is by his reason swai'd. View more context for this quotation
1635 A. Stafford Femall Glory 63 Whose Wils, and Vnderstandings have a combat before they can bee brought to a consent.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost i. 106 All is not lost; the unconquerable Will,..And courage never to submit or yield. View more context for this quotation
1738 A. Pope Universal Prayer iii. 4 Who..binding Nature fast in Fate, Left Conscience free, and Will.
1848 R. I. Wilberforce Doctr. Incarnation (1852) iv. 80 In our Lord, first of all descendants of Adam, was will exhibited in that complete freedom, which was its normal condition and perfect state.
1989 B. Head Tales Tenderness & Power (1990) 94 They had a hang-dog air as though the society and its oppressive ways had broken their will.
2011 Daily Tel. 12 July 14/1 Negotiations have become a battle of wills between Mr Obama and his Republican opponents.
b. Control over one's own will; self-control; the degree of deliberate imposition of this over instinct or impulse; an instance of this. Frequently with distinguishing word, such as strong, weak, etc. Cf. willpower n.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > calmness > self-possession or self-control > [noun]
repressiona1413
governailc1425
willc1480
self-rule1532
coldness1548
stay1556
presentness of mind1598
coolness1607
cold blooda1609
temper1611
self-discipline1612
retention?1615
presence of mind?1624
self-governance1630
retentiveness1641
self-command1651
self-mastery1652
self-control1653
self-direction1653
self-restraint1656
self-possession1665
possessednessa1698
self-regulation1698
possession1703
retenue1747
sang-froid1750
self-collection1761
render1768
self-collectedness1805
self-repression1821
self-containedness1835
unimpulsiveness1860
cool-headedness1881
sophrosyne1889
cool1964
c1480 (a1400) St. Alexis l. 472 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) I. 454 Quhene ony mys did þe til, þu tholyt with debonare wil!
1487 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (St. John's Cambr.) xi. l. 252 He..thoucht that men of sa gret will, Gif thai vald set thair mycht thair-till, Suld be full hard till vyn.
1508 Golagros & Gawane (Chepman & Myllar) sig. aii*v Schir kay wes haisty and hate and of ane hie will.
1642 H. More Ψυχωδια Platonica sig. M3 Why had the first-made-man such a loose will, That his innumerous of-spring he should fouly spill.
1752 C. Lennox Female Quixote i. xi Since I am not allowed any will of my own,..it matters not whether I am pleased or displeased.
1798 S. Lee Young Lady's Tale in H. Lee Canterbury Tales II. 341 If once she could be brought to assert a will of her own.
1878 J. Cook Lect. Conscience (1879) ii. 25 No doubt, if a Cæsar or a Napoleon comes before some man of weak will, the latter, although he be a good man,..will quail.
1907 F. P. Verney & M. M. Verney Mem. Verney Family 17th Cent. (ed. 2 reissued) I. 422 A girl of high spirit and strong will.
2018 Daily News (S. Afr.) (Nexis) 21 Aug. The father of four had a strong will and was a fighter.
7.
a. Intention or determination that what one wishes or ordains shall be done by another or others, or shall take place; (contextually) an expression or embodiment of such intention or determination, an order, command, injunction (cf. sense 3b). Usually with possessive or of.Formerly frequently in exclamations, as (by) God's will: see god n. and int. Phrases 3b(a); occasionally 'ods my will: see od n.1In quot. eOE with reference to the injunction in a will; cf. sense 10a.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > wish or inclination > [noun]
willeOE
hearteOE
i-willc888
self-willeOE
intent?c1225
device1303
couragec1320
talentc1325
greec1330
voluntyc1330
fantasyc1374
likinga1375
disposingc1380
pleasancea1382
affectionc1390
wish1390
disposition1393
affecta1398
likea1400
lista1400
pleasingc1400
emplesance1424
pleasurec1425
well-willingc1443
notiona1450
mindc1450
fancy1465
empleseur1473
hest?a1513
plighta1535
inclination1541
cue1567
month's mind1580
disposedness1583
leaning1587
humour1595
wouldings1613
beneplacit1643
wouldingness1645
vergency1649
bene-placiture1662
good liking1690
draught1758
tida1774
inkling1787
the mind > will > intention > [noun] > intention or purpose
willeOE
highOE
thoughtOE
intent?c1225
achesounc1230
attenta1250
couragec1320
devicec1320
minda1325
studya1382
understanding1382
suggestionc1390
meaninga1393
i-minda1400
minta1400
tent1399
castc1400
ettlingc1400
affecta1425
advicec1425
intention1430
purposec1430
proposea1450
intendment1450
supposing?c1450
pretensionc1456
intellectionc1460
zeal1492
hest?a1513
minting?a1513
institute?1520
intendingc1525
mindfulness1530
cogitationa1538
fordrift1549
forecast1549
designing1566
tention1587
levela1591
intendiment1595
design1597
suppose1597
aim1598
regarda1616
idea1617
contemplationa1631
speculation1631
view1634
way of thinking1650
designation1658
tend1663
would1753
predetermination1764
will to art1920
society > authority > command > command or bidding > [noun]
willeOE
i-bodc888
bodea1000
hestc1000
bedec1175
bodewordc1175
device1307
commandmentc1386
assignment1393
hetec1394
commandinga1400
commissionc1400
willinga1425
mandament1442
behesting1582
command1611
assign1633
jussion1773
the world > the supernatural > deity > Christian God > activities of God > [noun] > will of
willeOE
the voice of God (also heaven, Christ, etc.)c1350
volition1654
complacence1675
eOE (Kentish) Will of Abba (Sawyer 1482) in N. P. Brooks & S. E. Kelly Charters of Christ Church Canterbury, Pt. 2 (2013) 663 Ic Abba geroefa cyðe & writan hate hu min willa is þæt mon ymb min ærfe gedoe æfter minum dæge.
OE West Saxon Gospels: Matt. (Corpus Cambr.) vi. 10 Gewurþe ðin willa on eorðan swa swa on heofonum.
a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 21 We sunegiet on-ȝein drihtenes welle ofter þene we scolde.
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) i. l. 190 Mi will is ferst that thou be schrive.
1464 in Rec. Parl. Scotl. to 1707 (2007) 1464/1/8 Thai..sall..entire the kingis ward..and there abide enduring the kingis will.
a1525 (c1448) R. Holland Bk. Howlat l. 874 in W. A. Craigie Asloan MS (1925) II. 122 I wait ȝour will & quhat way ȝe wald yat I wrocht.
1558 in J. M. Stone Hist. Mary I (1901) App. 518 My mynd and will ys, that the said Codicell shall be accepted.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Measure for Measure (1623) ii. ii. 7 Is it your will Claudio shall die to morrow? View more context for this quotation
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost ii. 1025 Such was the will of Heav'n. View more context for this quotation
1711 R. Steele Spectator No. 96. ⁋2 It was the Will of Providence that Master Harry was taken very ill of a Fever.
1756 C. Lucas Ess. Waters ii. 144 They are all..dependent on the will of the magistrate.
1832 Ld. Tennyson Dream Fair Women lxvi, in Poems (new ed.) 138 It comforts me in this one thought to dwell—That I subdued me to my father's will.
1841–8 F. Myers Catholic Thoughts II. iii. §1 The Books commonly called The Bible contain special Revelations of the Will of God.
1888 J. Bryce Amer. Commonw. III. xcvii. 360 This method of consulting the popular will.
2008 M. O'Brien et al. Parl. as Peacebuilders 35 The usual role of election observers is to..determine whether the election reflects the will of the people.
b. Consent, acquiescence, approval; favourable disposition. Usually in with a person's will. Now Scottish. Sc. National Dict. (at cited word) records the sense as still in use in the Northern Isles and northern Scotland in 1974.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > esteem > approval or sanction > [noun]
willOE
allowancec1400
acceptationa1425
allowing1435
approof1439
approving1523
comprobation1529
owning1535
approbation1548
good liking?1560
suffrage1563
acceptance1569
liking1569
pleasure1569
allowment1570
approvance1592
probatum1606
approvement1615
sufferage1622
the light of a person's countenance1649
reception1660
receivedness1661
imprimatur1672
approval1690
sanction1738
go-down1753
rubber stamping1920
the mind > will > wish or inclination > willingness > [noun]
willOE
goodwilllOE
wilfulnessa1398
freenessc1400
freedoma1425
towardness1461
willingness1535
towardlinessa1569
fitness1604
inclinableness1608
lubency1623
pronenessa1640
libence1654
promptitude1712
allubescency1727
willinghood1841
unhesitatingness1876
the mind > language > statement > acquiescence > [noun]
willOE
acquiescence1615
acquiescency1646
complacency1652
acquiescement1721
society > authority > lack of subjection > permission > [noun]
leaveeOE
yleaveOE
willOE
grant?c1225
thaving?c1225
grantisea1300
licence1362
grace1389
pardona1425
libertyc1425
patiencec1425
permission1425
sufferingc1460
congee1477
legencea1500
withganga1500
favour1574
beleve1575
permittance1580
withgate1599
passage1622
sufferage1622
attolerance1676
sanction1738
permiss-
OE Confessionale Pseudo-Egberti (Junius) 182 Swa hwylc freoman se ðe him genimeð þeowne wifman to wife, ne mot he hi eft forlætan, gif hi ær ðeowe [read ðeodde] wæron mid heora begra willan.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) Pref. l. 10 Crist toc dæþ o rode tre All wiþþ hiss fulle wille.
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 37 Þyefþe..is nyme oþer of-healde oþremanne þinges..wyþ-oute wylle of þe lhorde.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 199 Wit crist will þan sal I telle How he siþen hared helle.
a1475 in A. Clark Eng. Reg. Godstow Nunnery (1905) i. 362 With the wille and graunte of Raaf his sone and heire.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Jer. xliv. 19 Did we..poure vnto her drinkofferinges, to do her seruyce, without oure huszbondes wylles?
1808 R. F. A. Lee Ess. on Govt. xxxvi. 197 If possessions be seized upon, it matters not on what plea, without the will of the possessor, it is usurpation.
1816 W. Scott Black Dwarf vii, in Tales of my Landlord 1st Ser. I. 133 I'm wae ye suld hae cause to say sae; I'm sure it was na wi' my will.
1895 W. C. Fraser Whaups of Durley 99 Ye'll never set anither fit in't wi' my wull.
1912 J. P. Reid Skipper's Daughters xxix It wasna wi' my will; I'd naething to do wi't.
†c. The intent or purport (of a document; cf. sense 10). In later use (Scots Law): the part of a writ of citation summoning the defendant in an action to appear in court, formerly worded as a royal command (see quot. 1684). Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > legal document > [noun] > intent or meaning of
will1439
society > law > administration of justice > process, writ, warrant, or order > [noun] > summons > clause in summons
will1684
1439 in Ancestor (1904) July 18 After that the will of my testament be fulfilled and my dettes paid.
?a1450 in C. von Nolcken Middle Eng. Transl. Rosarium Theol. (1979) 57 (MED) He begeyliþ hymself, noȝt vnderstandyng þe welle of þe scripture.
1684 G. Mackenzie Instit. Law Scotl. (1694) iv. i. 236 The King in his Summons says, Our will is, &c. that ye cite such and such Persons, &c. which is called the Will of the Summons, and which Will of the Summons does comprehend a Command to the Messengers to cite the Defenders.
1766 Ld. Kames Remarkable Decisions Court of Session 1730–52 67 It was necessary for the suspender to follow out the will of the letters.
1915 Juridical Rev. 27 444 The will of the summons still compels a pursuer to cite the defender in the misleading terms above set forth.
8. Modified by a possessive: that which a person wishes should be done, a person's pleasure; esp. as the object of do, work, etc. Frequently in if it be (also is) your (thy, etc.) will, †if thy (his, etc.) will be, etc. (now archaic).
ΚΠ
OE Menologium 201 We healdað sancta symbel þara þe sið oððe ær worhtan in worulde willan drihtnes.
lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) anno 1085 Gebete hit God elmihtiga þonne his willa sy!
a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 121 Ȝif hit his willa nere, ne mahte him nan deð ne nan pine denan [perhaps read derian].
a1350 (?c1225) King Horn (Harl.) (1901) l. 201 Ah ȝef hit is þi wille help vs þat we ne spille.
c1475 (?c1425) Avowing of King Arthur (1984) l. 522 Bothe my dethe and my lyfe Is inne þe wille of þi wife.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Psalms xxvi[i]. 12 Delyuer me not in to the wylles of myne aduersaries.
1542 N. Udall tr. Erasmus Apophthegmes f. 295 The stronger must bee obeyed & haue his wille.
1590 T. Lodge Rosalynde (1592) O 2 b Shall I then haue..no comfort, but bee posted off to the will of time?
a1616 W. Shakespeare Coriolanus (1623) iv. iv. 7 Direct me, if it be your will, where great Auffidius lies: Is he in Antium? View more context for this quotation
1765 T. Gray Shakespeare in Corr. Gray & W. Mason (1853) 340 13 If then he wreak on me his wicked will.
1819 W. Scott Bride of Lammermoor xi, in Tales of my Landlord 3rd Ser. I. 295 If it's your wull, I'll just tak a step as far as Dunse.
1865 J. Ruskin Sesame & Lilies ii. 185 Leaving misrule and violence to work their will among men.
1953 C. Isherwood Diary 27 Jan. (2011) I. 454 Okay—a real fresh start, then, if that's your will. What do you want now? Tell me. I'm ready.
2019 @JRoughton3 14 May in twitter.com (OED Archive) The Bible doesn't really say much about ‘chasing your dreams’. It has a lot to say about doing God's will.
†9.
a. Undue assertion of one's own will; wilfulness, self-will. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > decision > obstinacy or stubbornness > [noun] > wilfulness
willOE
wilfulnessc1200
wilfulshipc1200
own-willa1225
wilsomenessa1382
wilfulheadc1385
headiness1447
self-willa1450
self-willednessc1450
willerdoma1475
wilfulheadness1485
self-wilfulness1511
sensuality1536
headstrongness1598
self-williness1611
prodigity1623
OE Ælfric Lives of Saints (Julius) (1881) I. 108 Eala hwilc anwilnys and geortruwad wylla, þurh ða þeos fægre geogað nu forwurðan sceall.
a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 9 Ȝif hwa is swa sunful..þet nulle..for his fule heorte wil his scrift ihalden.
c1330 (?c1300) Speculum Guy (Auch.) (1898) l. 169 Þat þurw here pride and here wil Þeih fallen ofte in gret peril.
a1450 ( in J. Kail 26 Polit. Poems (1904) 10 By witles wille þey gedre pres.
1546 J. Heywood Dialogue Prouerbes Eng. Tongue i. xi. sig. Diiiv Will will haue will, though will wo wyn.
a1568 R. Ascham Scholemaster (1570) i. f. 12 Lyinge, pickinge, slouthe, will, stubburnnesse.
1616 J. Taylor Vrania xli. B 8 When hare-braind Will, o're Wit doth rule & raigne.
c1692 Upon Death Lady Stair in J. Maidment Bk. Sc. Pasquils (1868) 358 Some weighed so with will, they neither dow, Nor able are, to bear it up the bow.
b. An instance of wilfulness; a whim. Obsolete. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > inconstancy > [noun] > capriciousness > a caprice or whim
fantasya1450
wantonness1531
humour1533
worm?a1534
will1542
toy?1545
whey-worm1548
wild worm1548
freak1563
crotchet1573
fancy1579
whim-wham1580
whirligig1589
caper1592
megrim1593
spleen1594
kicksey-winsey1599
fegary1600
humorousness1604
curiosity1605
conundrum1607
whimsy1607
windmill1612
buzza1616
capriccioa1616
quirka1616
flama1625
maggota1625
fantasticality1631
capruch1634
gimcrack1639
whimseycado1654
caprich1656
excursion1662
frisk1665
caprice1673
fita1680
grub1681
fantasque1697
whim1697
frolic1711
flight1717
whigmaleery1730
vagary1753
maddock1787
kink1803
fizgig1824
fad1834
whimmery1837
fantod1839
brain crack1853
whimsy-whamsy1871
tic1896
tick1900
1542 King Henry VIII Declar. Causes Warre Scottis sig. Biii Shuld we suffer our lande to be vsurped contrary to our most playne euidence, onely vpon a wylle, pryde, and arrogancye of the other partie?
1619 S. Purchas Microcosmus lxii. 623 Shall Christians lose..the Hopes of Heauen..for a Will, for a Humour, for malicious Spight.
a1680 S. Charnock Several Disc. Existence of God (1682) 714 If he made the Heavens in Wisdome, Psal. 136.5. He made them by some rule, not by a meer will.
III. Senses relating to the disposal of property at death.
10.
a. A person's formal declaration as to the disposal of his or her property or as to other matters that are to be performed after his or her death, having or intended to have legal force and most usually made in writing (but see nuncupative adj. 1, parol n. 1); (usually in extended sense) the document in which this declaration of intention is expressed.Formerly properly used only in reference to the disposal of real property, and distinguished from a testament relating to personal property; hence the phrase (still in formal use) last will and testament: see testament n. 1a.
(a) With last (less commonly final) as modifier. Now chiefly in last will and testament at testament n. 1a.latter will: see latter will n.In later use sometimes difficult to distinguish from contextual use distinguishing the last of a succession of wills left by an individual. [Compare post-classical Latin suprema voluntas (12th cent. in a British source), ultima voluntas (from 13th cent. in British sources), extrema voluntas (a1364 in the passage translated in quot. a1387).]
ΚΠ
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1872) IV. 11 (MED) Þanne Alisaundre loste his speche, and wroot his laste wille [L. extremam voluntatem scripto expressit].
1463–5 Rolls of Parl.: Edward IV (Electronic ed.) Parl. Apr. 1463 §43. m. 32 Ayenst the testament and the last wille of your seid noble progenitour.
1590 H. Swinburne Briefe Treat. Test. & Willes i. f. 3 A testament properly vnderstoode, is one kinde of last will, euen that wherein Executor is named.
a1726 G. Gilbert Law of Devises (1756) 103 A.devised his Lands..to J.S. and then published another Will in the Presence of three Witnesses as his last Will, revoking all former Wills.
1824 (title) Statement of facts relative to the last will of the late Mrs. Badger of Natick which was disallowed on the final hearing.
1841 B. W. Leigh Rep. Court of Appeals Virginia 10 136 I think it impossible that the notes for a will in this case..were meant by him to contain the will, the final will he intended to make.
1993 O. Seavey in B. Franklin Autobiogr. & Other Writings 333 In his final will, he left to his son the books and papers of his already in William's possession.
2015 J. Kirshner Marriage, Dowry, & Citizenship in Late Medieval & Renaissance Italy iii. 83 If she died having made and left a last will, her husband succeeded to at least one-third of the nondotal assets.
(b) Without last as modifier. Also figurative.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > transfer of property > testamentary disposition > [noun] > will
witword?997
quideOE
bequeath1297
testamentc1330
willc1400
intestement1463
latter will1540
testimonialc1616
settlement1815
script1850
test1890
c1400 (c1378) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Laud 581) (1869) B. xii. l. 258 Excecutoures, fals frendes..fulfille nouȝt his wille Þat was writen.
?c1430 (c1400) Rule St. Francis (Corpus Cambr.) in F. D. Matthew Eng. Wks. Wyclif (1880) 48 Þis testament is riȝtful wille of dede fraunseis.
1549 Bk. Common Prayer (STC 16267) Visitacion of Sicke sig. d.ii If he haue not a fore disposed his goodes, let him then make his will.
a1616 W. Shakespeare King John (1623) i. i. 109 Vpon his death-bed he by will bequeath'd His lands to me. View more context for this quotation
1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 210 A most monstrous..He-goat,..making his Will, as we say, and gasping for Life, and dying indeed of meer old Age.
1758 S. Johnson Idler 4 Nov. 241 She threw her will into the fire.
1806 W. Cruise Digest Laws Eng. Real Prop. VI. 49 Where a will is written on several sheets of paper, it is the usual practice for the testator to sign each of them.
1859 J. Bright Speeches 3 If it [sc. landed property] were left to him by will,..it paid no legacy duty.
1947 J. Symons Man called Jones x. 134 E. H. gave him two thousand pounds, and told him then that he should not expect to be remembered in his will.
2018 Evening Times (Glasgow) (Nexis) 27 June 14 My dad has three children including myself, and made me executor of his will.
†b. Either of the two Testaments in the Bible; = testament n. 5a. Obsolete.Apparently an isolated use.
ΘΚΠ
society > faith > aspects of faith > Bible, Scripture > Testament > [noun]
testamenta1300
covenant1587
will1888
1888 J. Paul in Mod. Sc. Poets 11th Ser. 361 A tawny tattered leaf atween the Auld Will an' the New.

Phrases

P1. In the genitive, with possessive (usually with possessive adjective).
†a. a person's will's (also a person's own will's): of a person's own will. Cf. willes adv. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
eOE King Ælfred tr. Gregory Pastoral Care (Hatton) (1871) lviii. 445 Ðonne ðonne hi forlætað hiora willes & hiora gewealdes ða god.
OE Poenitentiale Pseudo-Egberti (Laud) iv. xi. 52 Gif hwa on gewunan hæbbe þæt he hine sylfne besmite his agenes willes, fæste iii ger.
c1410 (c1395) G. Chaucer Wife of Bath's Tale (Harl. 7334) (1885) Prol. l. 272 Thing þat no man wol, his willes [c1405 Hengwrt thankes] holde.
a1500 (?a1390) J. Mirk Festial (Gough) (1905) 174 (MED) I am a fende of helle and wold not knele on noþyr kne my wylles, but I am made to do so aȝen my wylle.
†b. to be a person's will's: to be according to one's choice or desire, as one will; used predicatively with impersonal to be in such phrases as if your will's is ‘if it is as you will, if you please, if you wish’, what his will's is ‘what is according to his desire’. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
OE tr. Gospel of Nicodemus (Cambr.) xi. §3. 167 Næs næfre hys wylles þær man þone hælend wregde on nanum gemange.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 10094 He moght do quat his wils [Gött. willis] was.
c1480 (a1400) St. Mary of Egypt l. 583 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) I. 313 Þat godis willis was Þat me for my wikytnes Wald nocht his tempil I com in.
1489 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (Adv.) i. 618 Giff that ȝour willis wer, Ic ask ȝow respyt for to se This letter.
a1525 (c1448) R. Holland Bk. Howlat l. 312 in W. A. Craigie Asloan MS (1925) II. 104 Ȝe sall heire in schort space Quhat worthy lordis yar was Gif ȝour willis war.
1572 (a1500) Taill of Rauf Coilȝear (1882) 504 I wait not quhat his willis be.
P2. With prepositions.
†a. after a person's will (also after will): according to one's own or another person's choice or intention; according to one's own or another person's wish or desire. Cf. after prep. 9b, 10a, 11. Obsolete (archaic in later use).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > wish or inclination > [adverb]
to one's willOE
by one's willOE
self-willesOE
after a person's willOE
a-willc1275
at willc1300
at one's (own) liberty1426
ad placituma1556
at pleasure1579
ad libitum1606
arbitrarilya1626
arbitrariously1653
discretionally1655
ad arbitrium1663
voluntarily1676
discretionarily1681
antecedently1682
discretionary?1707
ad lib1791
at one's own sweet will1802
at choice1817
at no allowance1858
OE King Ælfred tr. Psalms (Paris) (2001) xix. 4 Gylde ðe Drihten æfter ðinum willan.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 6525 All hiss werrc..Wass full off iwhillc hæþenndom All affterr deofless wille.
c1300 St. Brendan (Harl.) l. 109 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 223 Þe see drof here schip after wil.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 15793 O þe forel a suerd he drogh þe ere he smat of an, For had it ben efter his wil he wald him fain ha slan.
a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1994) I. ii. 4 This is done after my will.
a1720 E. Bury Diary i, in Acct. Life & Death Mrs. E. Bury (1720) 55 I watch, and pray, and strive to walk after his Will.
1891 C. Yonge Two Penniless Princesses II. vii. 19 It is the Countess de Craylierre, who is forever..striving to put whatever I do in a cruel light, if I dinna walk after her will.
†b. again a person's will: in opposition to a person's own inclination or liking, unwillingly; (also) in opposition to another person's choice, intention, or desire. Cf. again prep. 7. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
OE St. Eustace (Julius) in W. W. Skeat Ælfric's Lives of Saints (1900) II. 198 Þylæs se awyrgeda feond astyrige þæt we ænig þing cwæþan and geþencan ongen þinne willan.
c1300 St. Christopher (Harl.) l. 155 in F. J. Furnivall Early Eng. Poems & Lives Saints (1862) 63 He makede hem al aȝen hire wille, his honden faste bynde.
1483 ( tr. G. Deguileville Pilgrimage of Soul (Caxton) iv. xx. f. lxviij Thou hast byreued me Ageyne my wyll, no thyng with myn assent.
a1500 (?a1390) J. Mirk Festial (Gough) (1905) 174 (MED) I am a fende of helle and wold not knele on noþyr kne my wylles, but I am made to do so aȝen my wylle.
c. against a person's will: in opposition to a person's own inclination or liking, unwillingly; †against one's own purpose, unintentionally (obsolete rare); (also) in opposition to another person's choice, intention, or desire.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > wish or inclination > unwillingness > [adverb]
unwillc893
uneathc900
unthankc960
latelyOE
against a person's willa1225
loatha1340
grutchingly1340
at one's unthanksa1400
wandsomely?a1400
at (or again) one's unwillesc1400
uneathsa1425
unwilfully1435
invitec1450
tarrowinglyc1480
scantly1509
nicely1530
tarryingly1530
unwillingly?1531
loathly1547
faintly1548
evil-willingly1549
grudgingly1549
difficultly1551
loathsomely1561
dangerously1573
ill-willing1579
backwardlya1586
costively1598
with an ill will1601
with (a) bad (also ill) grace1614
sadly1622
tenderlya1628
reluctantly1646
shyly1701
uncheerfully1754
à contre-coeur1803
shrinkingly1817
retractatively1851
begrudgingly1853
forcibly1867
loathfully1887
tharfly1894
a1225 (?OE) MS Vesp. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 233 He ȝesceop alle þing of nahte, and na þing ne maȝi [i.e. maȝ i] aȝenes his wille.
1512 Act 4 Henry VIII c. 20 in Statutes of Realm (1963) III. 90 The said John..fortuned to be slayn..ayenst the will and mynde of your seid Besecher.
1559 W. Baldwin et al. Myrroure for Magistrates Suffolk xxii King and queene were forst against their willes.
1608 W. Shakespeare King Lear iv. 100 This fellow hath banisht two on's daughters, and done the third a blessing against his will . View more context for this quotation
1678 S. Butler Hudibras: Third Pt. iii. iii. 226 He that complies against his Will, Is of his own opinion still.
1785 W. Cowper Task vi. 520 His steed Declined the death, and wheeling swiftly round,..Baffled his rider, saved against his will.
1845 J. R. McCulloch Treat. Taxation Introd. 40 The Grand Seignior cannot do a more absolute act than to order a man to be dragged away from his family, and, against his will, run his head against the mouth of a cannon.
1997 Mod. Railways July 397/2 Although the Regulator cannot tear up Railtrack's contracts, they can be changed against Railtrack's will and before they expire.
2006 A. Davies Goodbye Lemon ii. 119 Against my will I start fondling the idea.
d. at will (also at a person's will).
(a) According to a person's volition or choice; as, when, where, or how one likes or chooses. †Also occasionally: of one's own free will, voluntarily (obsolete).
(i) With possessive, in at one's own will (also (now rare) at one's will). Also †at God's will.at one's own sweet will: see sweet adj. 8d.
ΚΠ
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 11458 He shall himm brinngenn onn. To don summ hæfedd sinne. All hise þannkess. all unnnedd All att hiss flæshess wille.
c1330 (?c1300) Speculum Guy (Auch.) (1898) l. 19 Al at his wille he wole þe lede.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 6136 Ma sacrifice your lauerd vntill, Quar yee wil at your aun will.
a1500 (?c1400) Sir Triamour (Cambr.) (1937) l. 257 At goddys wylle muste hyt bene.
1570 T. Norton tr. A. Nowell Catechisme 67 b God alone is able at his owne will to geue what soeuer he hath appointed.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Julius Caesar (1623) ii. i. 17 We put a Sting in him, That at his will he may doe danger with. View more context for this quotation
1651 N. Bacon Contin. Hist. Disc. Govt. 218 Allowing the Pope Power to grant to such his Bulls or Pall at his own will.
a1721 M. Prior Poems Several Occasions (1742) II. 133 Enjoying sweetest Liberty, And roving at my Will.
1825 tr. C.-M. Catherinet de Villemarest Hermit in Italy III. xlv. 107 I was able to meditate at my own will, without dreading any disturbance.
1927 B. Vanzetti Let. 25 Apr. in N. Sacco & B. Vanzetti Lett. (1997) ii. iv. 249 Few days ago it was stenographated, with the understanding that we will correct and modify it at our own will.
2002 S. Blackhall Fower Quarters i. 10 Gilderoy herriet Cromar at his will frae the weet, dreepin waas o yon cave.
2018 Pakistan Law Reporter (Nexis) 7 Dec. The victim stated that she at her own will went out with the accused petitioner.
(ii) Without possessive, in at will.
ΚΠ
c1300 (?c1225) King Horn (Cambr.) (1901) l. 1464 Kniȝtes suiþe snelle..schrudde hem at wille.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 19324 Na strinth did þai þaim till, For þai come wid þaim all at will.
1508 Golagros & Gawane (Chepman & Myllar) sig. avv Al yai that ar wrocht vndir ye hie hevin Micht nocht warne thame at wil to ische nor entre.
1579 E. Spenser Shepheardes Cal. Sept. 144 They wander at will, and stray at pleasure.
1615 R. Cocks Diary (1883) I. 42 [He] geveth out that he is not the Companies servant, but at will.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Coriolanus (1623) i. vii. 39 Holding Corioles in the name of Rome, Euen like a fawning Grey-hound in the Leash, To let him slip at will . View more context for this quotation
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost v. 295 Nature here Wantond as in her prime, and plaid at will Her Virgin Fancies. View more context for this quotation
1825 W. Wordsworth To Skylark 5 Thy nest which thou canst drop into at will.
1888 F. H. Bradley in Mind Jan. 27 And if we think of various sensations in parts of our bodies we can produce them at will.
2001 Ski Feb. 53/3 The private club area attracts mostly families who want a place where they can let their kids roam at will.
†(b) Chiefly without possessive, as at will. According to one's desire, as one wishes or likes; esp. (used predicatively or as complement, of wind or weather) favourable. Obsolete. Also (Scottish) at all will (in form at a' will): as much as one could wish for. Sc. National Dict. (at cited word) records the phrase with all as still in use in Shetland and north-eastern Scotland in 1974.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > wish or inclination > [adverb]
to one's willOE
by one's willOE
self-willesOE
after a person's willOE
a-willc1275
at willc1300
at one's (own) liberty1426
ad placituma1556
at pleasure1579
ad libitum1606
arbitrarilya1626
arbitrariously1653
discretionally1655
ad arbitrium1663
voluntarily1676
discretionarily1681
antecedently1682
discretionary?1707
ad lib1791
at one's own sweet will1802
at choice1817
at no allowance1858
the mind > will > free will > [adverb] > with freedom of will
in one's free will?c1225
at a person's willc1300
abandonc1330
freely1340
wilfully1340
contingently1601
electively1636
facultatively1887
the world > the earth > weather and the atmosphere > weather > fine weather > [phrase] > (of weather or wind) as one wishes
on willOE
at a person's willc1300
the mind > emotion > pleasure > contentment or satisfaction > [adverb] > so as to content or satisfy > to one's satisfaction
to one's willOE
a-willc1275
at a person's willc1300
fillc1300
to payc1300
at, to greec1374
with or upon one's wish or wishes1390
agreea1425
at wisha1525
to (one's) wish (rarely wishes)1586
to one's heart's content1600
wishfully1607
c1300 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Otho) (1978) l. 12795 Wind heom stod at wille [c1275 Calig. on wille], muriest alre wedere.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 2243 Quen þai at wil had festend grund, Þe wark þai raised in a stund.
a1450 Rule St. Benet (Vesp.) (1902) l. 492 All þat nedes ȝou vntill Sal ȝe haue at ȝour awne wyll.
a1533 Ld. Berners tr. A. de Guevara Golden Bk. M. Aurelius (1546) sig. E.vjv Thus haue ye had the goddes at wyl.
1579 T. Stevens Let. 10 Nov. in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations (1589) i. 161 Our Pilot..thinking himselfe to haue wind at will.
1825 J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. Suppl. (at cited word) At a' will, to the utmost extent of one's inclination or desire.
1929 in Sc. National Dict. (1976) X. (at cited word) [Banffshire] Ye wis crying for frost; I think ye've gotten't at a' wull.
(c) With or without possessive or of-complement. In readiness to be dealt with as one will; at one's command or disposal.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > [phrase] > in one's possession and control
to one's willOE
at a person's willc1300
a-willc1450
the world > action or operation > undertaking > preparation > in preparation [phrase] > in a state of preparation or readiness > ready for use > as one wishes
at a person's willc1300
with or upon one's wish or wishes1390
at wisha1525
c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) l. 271 He hauede taken þis oth Of erles, baruns..forto hauen alle at his cri, At his wille, at his merci.
c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 836 Al is yowre awen, to haue at yowre wylle & welde.
?a1475 in J. Kail 26 Polit. Poems (1904) 147 Whyle I had my streyngth at wyll, ffull many a man I dyd vnreste.
a1500 (a1450) Generides (Trin. Cambr.) l. 33 (MED) Whenne he lyste, she was all atte his wille.
1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry i. f. 7 With wealth yenough and pastures wyde at wyll.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Cymbeline (1623) iv. iii. 13 Sir, my life is yours, I humbly set it at your will . View more context for this quotation
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost v. 377 These mid-hours, till Eevning rise I have at will . View more context for this quotation
1785 W. Cowper Task ii. 202 What is his creation less Than a capacious reservoir of means Formed for his use, and ready at his will?
1913 M. Roberts Salt of Sea ix. 218 At sunset the wind failed and left me at the will of the tides.
2001 E. Mulvihill in M. Hickey Irish Days (2004) 248 It's a pity you never met old Thomas Hanley. He was a hive of information. He had words at will.
(d) Without possessive, as at will. Used with reference to an estate held while the owner or lessor is agreeable to the arrangement, and from which the tenant may be dismissed at any time, chiefly in estate at will at estate n. 11a, tenant at will n. Hence in extended use with reference to a worker whose employment can be terminated at any time at the employer's wish.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > legal right > right of possession or ownership > tenure of property > [phrase] > at will
at a person's will1450
1450–1 Rolls of Parl.: Henry VI (Electronic ed.) Parl. Nov. 1450 §17. m. 6 Grauntes of..annuitees, made by you of estate of enheritaunce, for terme of lif, or terme of yeris, or at wille.
1589 in Trans. Cumberland & Westmorland Antiquarian & Archæol. Soc. (N.S.) 20 222 Which castell..John glaisters balyfe there occupyethe at will and ought to pay yerely the said rents.
1663 S. Butler Hudibras: First Pt. i. ii. 149 For we are their true Landlords still, And they our Tenants but at will.
1766 W. Blackstone Comm. Laws Eng. II. ix. 145 An estate at will is where lands and tenements are let by one man to another, to have and to hold at the will of the lessor.
1794 C. Vancouver Gen. View Agric. Cambr. 52 The largest farm is held at will.
1868 J. E. T. Rogers Man. Polit. Econ. xiii. 174 The customary occupation was reduced to a tenancy at will.
1987 Suffolk Univ. Law Rev. 21 524 (note) Person appealing action for possession of tenements let, held at will, or by sufferance, must post bond to plaintiff.
1994 M. Yates Power on Job ix. 223 The common law doctrine of at-will employment was first used by judges in the 1870s.
2008 San Francisco Chron. 2 July b1/6 The city administrator serves ‘at will’—meaning the mayor has the authority to fire her without giving a reason.
†e. by one's own will (formerly also †by one's will): with one's consent, or of one's own free will, willingly; according to one's desire, if one had one's wish. Cf. by one's goodwill at goodwill n. Phrases.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > free will > [adverb]
freelyeOE
wilfullyc1000
by one's willOE
of oneselfOE
self-willesOE
of one's own willOE
willyOE
with one's willc1175
voluntarilyc1374
wilfulc1380
of one's own heada1393
willea1400
willilya1400
of (free) voluntyc1402
of or at one's (own) voluntyc1402
of one's own motion1419
of (also by, with) one's (own) goodwill?a1425
on one's own heada1425
of (also by, on, upon) one's own accorda1450
activelyc1454
willinglyc1475
voluntary1480
liberallya1500
of one's own swinge1548
voluntariously1550
voluntarlyc1568
for favour1574
at voluntary1585
of, out of, upon, or at (a person's) own voluntary1585
selfly1595
motu proprio1603
ultroneously1627
unimposedly1647
spontaneously1660
needlessly1710
unmechanically1764
the mind > will > wish or inclination > [adverb]
to one's willOE
by one's willOE
self-willesOE
after a person's willOE
a-willc1275
at willc1300
at one's (own) liberty1426
ad placituma1556
at pleasure1579
ad libitum1606
arbitrarilya1626
arbitrariously1653
discretionally1655
ad arbitrium1663
voluntarily1676
discretionarily1681
antecedently1682
discretionary?1707
ad lib1791
at one's own sweet will1802
at choice1817
at no allowance1858
OE Old Eng. Hexateuch: Gen. (Claud.) xxxi. 30 Be ðinum agenum wille ðu ferdest to ðines fæder hiwrædenne.
c1300 Life & Martyrdom Thomas Becket (Harl. 2277) (1845) l. 949 Lete..clerkes..bi here owe wille maki kinges and cheose..so schulde ech king after him his franchise leose.
c1300 St. Dunstan (Harl.) l. 59 in F. J. Furnivall Early Eng. Poems & Lives Saints (1862) 36 For he nolde bi his wille no tyme idel beo A priuei smyþþe bi his celle he gan him biseo.
c1450 (c1386) G. Chaucer Envoy to Bukton (Fairf. 16) (1879) l. 12 I dar seyn, were he oute of his peyne As by his wille, he wolde be bounde nevere.
1600 W. Shakespeare Much Ado about Nothing iii. iii. 60 Verges You haue beene alwayes called a mercifull manne, partner. Dog. Truely I would not hang a dogge by my will . View more context for this quotation
1843 Baptist Missionary Mag. Apr. 89/1 You have, by your own will, laid yourself upon his altar.
1954 J. R. R. Tolkien Let. Sept. (1995) 193 Though potently ‘subcreative’, and resident on Earth to which they are bound by love.., they cannot by their own will alter any fundamental provisions.
2018 Indian Express (Nexis) 23 Jan. She went with her parents, by her own will, to Mangaluru.
f. Phrases with in.
†(a) in will: with the will or intention, intending, purposing (to do something). to be (also have) in will: to intend, purpose. Also in a will.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > intention > [adverb] > with the intention or purpose
in willc1325
of willc1480
c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) l. 2301 Icholle bringe al þat folc in wille to crouni þe to kinge, & þei þin ordre þer aȝen be, þer to icholle þe bringe.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 4125 All he sagh þam in a wil þair broþer sacles for to spil.
c1480 (a1400) St. Pelagia 8 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) II. 204 Of his mysdide hafand hert sare, in wil to mysdo nomare.
1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid ix. xii. 27 His broderis slauchtyr to revenge in wyll.
1693 tr. Hist. Amadis of Greece xxxii. 122 She and such like have more Power over me than any one, who should be arm'd, and in a will to fight me.
†(b) to come (also to put oneself) in a person's will: to submit oneself to a person's wishes or decision; similarly to come in will to a person. to come in will: to surrender at discretion. Scottish. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > subjection > obedience > submissiveness > submission > submit [verb (intransitive)]
onboweOE
bowa1000
abeyc1300
yielda1330
loutc1330
couchc1386
to come to a person's mercy?a1400
to do (also put) oneself in (also to) a person's mercya1400
hielda1400
underlouta1400
foldc1400
to come (also to put oneself) in a person's willc1405
subjectc1475
defer1479
avale1484
to come in1485
submita1525
submita1525
stoop1530
subscribe1556
compromit1590
warpa1592
to yield (also bow oneself) to (also upon) mercy1595
to come in will to a person1596
lead1607
knuckle1735
snool1786
c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Melibeus (Hengwrt) (2003) §795 Worshipful lady, we putten vs & oure goodes al fully in youre wyl & disposicioun.
?c1450 tr. Bk. Knight of La Tour Landry (1906) 129 (MED) She..putte her selff in the will and in the disposicion of almighti God.
c1480 (a1400) SS. Simon & Jude l. 199 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) I. 213 Fra..Ind sal cum to þe, messyngeris, & put þam in þi will.
1560 in W. Mackay & H. C. Boyd Rec. Inverness (1911) I. 46 The said Thom Stuert is cumin in the townis wyll, and dome gyffin thairapon.
1596 J. Dalrymple tr. J. Leslie Hist. Scotl. (1895) II. 218 Al the rest with Sinklar cam in wil to thame of Orknay.
c1650 J. Spalding Memorialls Trubles Scotl. & Eng. (1850) I. 8 The honest men..wes forsit to cum in the Erlls will quhilk wes not for thair weill.
1690 Rec. Burgh Lanark (1893) 237 All quhich [offences] Nathaneell acknowledged and came in will.
a1730 A. Pennecuik Compl. Coll. Poems (?1750) ii. 68 Come in his Will, Lay down the Talents or be Debtor, By Band or Bill.
1810 W. Scott Lett. (1932) II. 401 But on this point I come as they say in your will.
g. Phrases with of.
(a) of one's own will (formerly also †of one's will, †of will): of one's own accord, spontaneously, voluntarily.of one's (own) free will see free will n. 1a.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > free will > [adverb]
freelyeOE
wilfullyc1000
by one's willOE
of oneselfOE
self-willesOE
of one's own willOE
willyOE
with one's willc1175
voluntarilyc1374
wilfulc1380
of one's own heada1393
willea1400
willilya1400
of (free) voluntyc1402
of or at one's (own) voluntyc1402
of one's own motion1419
of (also by, with) one's (own) goodwill?a1425
on one's own heada1425
of (also by, on, upon) one's own accorda1450
activelyc1454
willinglyc1475
voluntary1480
liberallya1500
of one's own swinge1548
voluntariously1550
voluntarlyc1568
for favour1574
at voluntary1585
of, out of, upon, or at (a person's) own voluntary1585
selfly1595
motu proprio1603
ultroneously1627
unimposedly1647
spontaneously1660
needlessly1710
unmechanically1764
OE tr. Defensor Liber Scintillarum (1969) lxviii. 298 Quod non ex uoluntate datur : þæt na of willan byð geseald.
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Mal. i. 10 Who..brenneth myn auter of his own wille, or freeli [L. gratuito]?
?c1400 (c1380) G. Chaucer tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (BL Add. 10340) (1868) iii. pr. iv. l. 2042 Yif þat dignites wexen foule of hir wille by þe filþe of shrewes.
1532 Romaunt Rose in Wks. G. Chaucer f. clxviiv/1 He knewe nat that she was constrayned..But wende she come of wyl al free.
1572 (a1500) Taill of Rauf Coilȝear (1882) 543 For that I hecht of my will, And na man threit me thair till, That I am haldin to fulfill.
1608 A. Willet Hexapla in Exodum 812 God doth..of his owne will, as he electeth some so pretermit others.
1871 W. Alexander Johnny Gibb (ed. 2) xlv. 251 I'm nae here o' wull, I'se asseer ye; but to cairry oot Sir Simon's doon-laid orders.
1925 Woman's World (Chicago) Apr. 59/2 When her hands and feet were not busy about her duties, they were listless and still of their own will.
2019 @KrazyMKb 13 May in twitter.com (accessed 22 May 2019) I refuse to believe she did this of her own will.
†(b) Scottish. of will (followed by till or to and infinitive): with the intention (to do something). Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > intention > [adverb] > with the intention or purpose
in willc1325
of willc1480
c1480 (a1400) St. John Baptist 479 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) II. 236 Nocht of resone, bot of wil a wyfis ȝarnyng til fulfil.
1487 in Rec. Parl. Scotl. to 1707 (2007) 1487/10/6 It is statut and ordanit that ane or twa justicez generale be deput and made..and to chese the samyn personis ganyng tharefor, baithe of wisedome and knaulage and that is of will and gude mynd to execut justice.
a1500 (c1425) Andrew of Wyntoun Oryg. Cron. Scotl. (Nero) v. l. 1884 Women in sic peril..Oft syis..Heychtis and awowis mare Þan eft to qwhit of wil þai are.
†h. on will: according to one's wishes, favourable; = at will at Phrases 2d(b). Obsolete. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the earth > weather and the atmosphere > weather > fine weather > [phrase] > (of weather or wind) as one wishes
on willOE
at a person's willc1300
OE Genesis A (1931) 2087 Loth wæs ahreded, eorl mid æhtum, idesa hwurfon, wif on willan.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 3912 Weder heom stod on wille.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 553 Heo wunden up seiles wind ston [read stod] an willen [c1300 Otho at wille].
†i. to one's will (also to will): as one wants, as one chooses, purposefully; at one's disposal; to one's liking; = at a person's will at Phrases 2d. Obsolete (Scottish in later use).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > wish or inclination > [adverb]
to one's willOE
by one's willOE
self-willesOE
after a person's willOE
a-willc1275
at willc1300
at one's (own) liberty1426
ad placituma1556
at pleasure1579
ad libitum1606
arbitrarilya1626
arbitrariously1653
discretionally1655
ad arbitrium1663
voluntarily1676
discretionarily1681
antecedently1682
discretionary?1707
ad lib1791
at one's own sweet will1802
at choice1817
at no allowance1858
the mind > possession > [phrase] > in one's possession and control
to one's willOE
at a person's willc1300
a-willc1450
the mind > emotion > pleasure > contentment or satisfaction > [adverb] > so as to content or satisfy > to one's satisfaction
to one's willOE
a-willc1275
at a person's willc1300
fillc1300
to payc1300
at, to greec1374
with or upon one's wish or wishes1390
agreea1425
at wisha1525
to (one's) wish (rarely wishes)1586
to one's heart's content1600
wishfully1607
OE Ælfric Lives of Saints (Julius) (1881) I. 22 Ðas fif andgitu gewisseð seo sawul to hire wyllan [c1175 Bodl. 343 to hire willæ].
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 150 Þe maister of workes..deþ al to wylle and to þe line and to þe reule and to þe leade and to þe leuele.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 23432 O welthes mar mai na man tell, Þan haf to will o welth þe well.
c1450 (a1400) Chevalere Assigne l. 181 in W. H. French & C. B. Hale Middle Eng. Metrical Romances (1930) 866 Thenne hadde i þis londe hollye to myne wyll.
1875 G. MacDonald Malcolm I. ix. 111 ‘Be 't to yer wull, mem,’ said Malcolm resignedly.
j. Phrases with with.
†(a) with one's will: intentionally; willingly; voluntarily; = by one's will at Phrases 2e, of one's own will at Phrases 2g(a). Also with will. Obsolete.Quot. OE shows comparable use with mid prep.1
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > free will > [adverb]
freelyeOE
wilfullyc1000
by one's willOE
of oneselfOE
self-willesOE
of one's own willOE
willyOE
with one's willc1175
voluntarilyc1374
wilfulc1380
of one's own heada1393
willea1400
willilya1400
of (free) voluntyc1402
of or at one's (own) voluntyc1402
of one's own motion1419
of (also by, with) one's (own) goodwill?a1425
on one's own heada1425
of (also by, on, upon) one's own accorda1450
activelyc1454
willinglyc1475
voluntary1480
liberallya1500
of one's own swinge1548
voluntariously1550
voluntarlyc1568
for favour1574
at voluntary1585
of, out of, upon, or at (a person's) own voluntary1585
selfly1595
motu proprio1603
ultroneously1627
unimposedly1647
spontaneously1660
needlessly1710
unmechanically1764
the mind > will > intention > [adverb]
willesOE
with one's willc1175
willes and waldesc1225
adviselya1325
wittinglya1340
wilfullyc1374
witting1377
a-purposea1382
of purpose (also (out) of (a) (set) purpose)a1382
wilfulc1381
willingly1402
of intention1430
knowingly1435
advisedlyc1449
deliberately1471
purpensely1472
purposely1495
prepensedly1496
purpensedly1496
purposedlya1540
proposely?1550
studiously1567
on (also upon) purpose1569
on set purpose1569
of industry1575
affectedly1582
premeditatelya1595
deliberatively1598
consultively1599
intentionallya1673
affectionally1603
by (also out of, on, upon) design1603
intentionately1609
industriouslya1616
perpensedly1624
intendedlya1641
unspontaneously1640
industrously1643
consultedly1645
consideringly1647
designedly1652
premeditatedly1653
wittily1653
intendingly1678
premeditatinglya1679
self-consciously1685
propensely1694
thinkingly1705
accidentally on purpose1711
affectionatelya1716
prepensely?1725
systematically1744
advertently1745
systemically1761
reflectively1775
purposefullya1854
meaningly1867
aimfully1870
purposively1878
designingly1879
proposedly1887
OE Blickling Homilies 39 Us is to gelyfenne þæt he þyder come, næs no geneded, ne underþeoded, ac mid his wyllan.]
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 2142 Þe steoressmann..he wile follȝhenn aȝȝ. Þatt illke steorrness lade. Swa þatt he muȝhe lendenn rihht. To lande wiþþ hiss wille.
a1250 (?c1200) Hali Meiðhad (Titus) (1940) l. 123 Ga ut þrof wið wil of þin heorte.
c1330 Simonie (Auch.) (1991) l. 431 So þe Fend hem prikede vch man to mourdren oþer Wid wille.
1485 W. Caxton tr. Paris & Vienne (1957) 5 They ansuerd to them ye shal now come to hym other wyth your wylle or by force.
1513 in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eng. Hist. (1846) 3rd Ser. I. 156 I see veray few..that with their wills wold go agayne to the trade.
1865 A. C. Swinburne Chastelard iv. 124 Yea, with my will I would not slay a thing.
(b) Originally Nautical. with a will: with determination, resolutely, vigorously, energetically.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > manner of action > vigour or energy > acting vigorously or energetically [phrase] > with great vigour or energy
with (also in) mood and maineOE
vigour13..
with or by (all one's) might and mainc1330
with (one's) forcec1380
like anything1665
hammer and tongs1708
like stour1787
(in) double tides1788
like blazes1818
like winking1827
with a will1827
like winky1830
like all possessed1833
in a big way1840
like (or worse than) sin1840
full swing1843
like a Trojan1846
like one o'clock1847
like sixty1848
like forty1852
like wildfire1857
like old boots1865
like blue murder1867
like steam1905
like stink1929
like one thing1938
like a demon1945
up a storm1953
1827 J. F. Cooper Red Rover III. viii. 196 Pull with a will, my men, pull; in an hour, you shall rummage the store-rooms of that fool, for your reward!
1866 J. Ruskin Crown Wild Olive i. 44 Work is only done well when it is done with a will.
1982 A. Desai Village by Sea ix. 108 He set to learning the craft with a will.
2010 C. McKay Big Ben viii. 117/1 Mr Denison set to work with a will to make the bell speak.
(c) with the best will (in the world): with the best of intentions, however much one would like things to be so; (also, as a mitigating expression) making every allowance.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > wish or inclination > willingness > [adverb]
to goodeOE
thankc888
yernec888
lieflyc900
lovelyeOE
lustly971
willinglyOE
wilfullyc1000
with (also mid) heart and hand (also hands)OE
fainc1175
lustilya1225
lief1297
yfaȝea1300
blethelyc1300
goodlya1375
blelyc1380
willingc1384
bainc1400
acceptably1479
bainlya1500
cheerfully1523
towardly1523
desirously1531
pronely?1532
fainly1535
wilningly1597
bongre1598
libentiously1606
volently1614
propensely1648
easily1649
with (a) good grace1650
unreluctantly1655
with the best will (in the world)1814
unhesitatingly1829
unqualifyingly1841
unloathly1844
happily1889
1814 F. Shoberl Narr. Events in & near Leipzig Suppl. 93 You may conceive my vexation at being unable, with the best will in the world, to treat our ardently wished-for guests in a suitable manner.
1858 B. Taylor Northern Trav. xxxii. 333 With the best will we found it impossible to eat anything.
1858 B. Taylor Northern Trav. xxxiii. 344 All that the old woman, with the best will in the world, was able to furnish, was milk, butter, [etc.].
1951 H. W. Tilman China to Chitral x. 120 It is a manly occupation... But with the best will in the world it cannot be made an all-time job.
2004 P. de Rosa Fatal Flaw Christianity iv. 138 Camels, with the best will in the world, smell indescribably at both ends.
2019 @Tuftyduck74 20 May in twitter.com (OED Archive) With the best will in the world, it is just not possible.
P3. In allusive or proverbial phrases, coupled with skill (in †will is no skill: cf. skill n.1 3), well, wishes, or wit, and esp. opposed to deed, chiefly in to take the will for the deed.where there's a will there's a way: see way n.1 and int.1 Phrases 8b.
ΚΠ
c1275 in C. Brown Eng. Lyrics 13th Cent. (1932) 65 Hwenne-so wil wit ofer-stieð Þenne is wil and wit for-lore.
?a1300 (c1250) Prov. Hendyng (Digby) xli, in Anglia (1881) 4 199 Muchel of his wille abit, þat wel may þolien.
c1475 Wisdom (Folger) (1969) l. 221 Wyll for dede oft ys take.
a1529 J. Skelton Magnyfycence (?1530) sig. Aiii But haue ye not herde say, that wyll is no skyll.
1597 R. Hooker Of Lawes Eccl. Politie v. lx. 134 Where wee cannot doe what is inioyned vs [God] accepteth our will to doe in stead of the deede it selfe.
1661 S. Morgan Sphere of Gentry To Rdr. sig. b2 The reasonable will accept the will for the deed.
1801 C. Lamb Let. 16 Sept. in Lett. C. & M. A. Lamb (1976) II. 19 In this little scrawl, you must take the will for the deed.
1853 E. Bulwer-Lytton My Novel I. i. iii. 17 Oh, sir, it is not the deed—it is the will.
a1865 E. C. Gaskell Wives & Daughters (1866) I. xiv. 165 We will take the will for the deed, as the common people express it.
1880 G. Meredith Tragic Comedians I. vi. 109 He had a saying: Two wishes make a will.
2016 @majanovelist 27 Feb. in twitter.com (OED Archive) I'll take the will for the deed. Thank you, honey!
P4. Phrases with verbs.
†a. to take one's will: to do as one pleases. Frequently followed by of indicating the person affected. Obsolete (Scottish in later use).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > wish or inclination > wish or be disposed or inclined [verb] > do as one wishes
to have (also get, take) one's (own) way1549
to take one's willc1565
to have everything one's own way1653
to have it all one's own way1653
to do one's (own) thing1841
suit yourself1860
c1565 Parl. Byrdes (new ed.) sig. a.iv He that hath wyth vs most myght, Taketh his wyll, as reason is ryght.
1825 J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. Suppl. (at cited word) To Tak one's will o',1.) To treat or use as one's pleases. 2.) To take as much of any thing as one pleases.
1881 G. MacDonald Warlock o' Glenwarlock vi. 64 He..jist loot the maister tak his wull o' 'im.
1890 Good Words Aug. 565/2 Carr let his own horse take his will.
1912 Rymour Club Misc. II. 29 By there cam' a trooper lad, And he wad ha'e his will. ‘Ye say ye'll ha'e your wills o' me? Your wills o' me ye've ta'en’.
b. to have a will of one's own: to have a strong or self-assertive will; (euphemistically) to be obstinate or wilful.In early use perhaps simply: to have an independent will, esp. in relation to God.
ΚΠ
1630 Bp. J. Hall Occas. Medit. i. 3 Though I have a will of mine owne, yet, let me give my selfe over to be ruled, and ordered by thy Spirit.
1798 J. Lawrence Philos. & Pract. Treat. Horses II. ii. 101 A horse which has a will of his own, may be in some degree reclaimed by being frequently lunged around a ring, as is the custom in breaking colts.
1949 H. R. P. Dickson Arab of Desert viii. 144 Al Jazi, sister of Khalid al Hithlain..had a will of her own, and was a veritable ‘Shaikhah’.
1979 T. Sharpe Wilt Alternative xi. 108 The sub-machine gun juddered in Wilt's hands. The bloody thing seemed to have a will of its own.
2008 Science 25 Jan. 413/1 Music has a will of its own when it sneaks up on us with familiar—even unwanted—tunes, ‘brainworms’ that we cannot shake.
P5. free will: see free will n. good will: see goodwill n. ill will: see ill will n.

Compounds

C1.
a. General use as a modifier, as in will-act, will-activity, will-force, will-gymnastics, will-spirit, will-web.
ΚΠ
1651 J. Ellistone tr. J. Böhme Signatura Rerum xv. 183 He..is an Instrument in the Voyce of God, upon which only the Will-spirit of God doth strike, to its honour and deeds of Wonder.
a1761 W. Law Comfort Weary Pilgrim (1809) 11 Whilst your will-spirit is good..the changes of creaturely fervour lessen not your union with God.
1886 W. Wallace in Encycl. Brit. XXI. 451/1 The will-force operating in all is the same.
1904 T. Hardy Dynasts: Pt. 1st i. 6 As key-scene to the whole, I first lay bare The Will-webs of thy fearful questioning.
1908 Practitioner Apr. 520 The treatment is largely one of occupation, therapy and will-gymnastics.
1920 Philos. Rev. 29 558 Existence is initially made possible by the spontaneous alogical will-activity of the metalogical Unconscious.
1966 R. Barr Main Currents Early Christ. Thought vi. 112 The heresy is to be called monergism, or monothelitism, depending upon whether one refers to Christ's activities in general or to his will-acts in particular.
b. In various other types of compound.
(a) will-commanding, will-directed, will-driven, will-fraught adjs.
ΚΠ
a1644 F. Quarles Solomons Recantation (1645) Soliloquy vi. 31 This will-commanding Saint.
1855 P. J. Bailey Mystic 61 At his will-fraught and evocative word, The strange star brightened largelier.
1992 J. Budziszewski True Tolerance (2000) vii. 133 To engage in controversy over the moral education of the young comes across as a purely will-driven pursuit of the access to their minds necessary to make many replicas of oneself.
2009 P. Muchnik Kant's Theory of Evil iii. 102 Kant believes that these two different types of acts refer to one another, because a will-directed intention underlines and accompanies all of our world-directed intentions.
(b) (In sense 10.) will-forger, will-maker, will-making, will-writer, will-writing nouns.
ΚΠ
1556 N. Grimald tr. Cicero Thre Bks. Duties iii. 137 For it falleth not in this place to speake of murderers, poysoners, willforgers, theeues, & robbers of the common treasurie.
1692 E. Settle Notorious Imposter 23 The young Damsel..tho not call'd to the Will-making, knew all the Contents of it.
1828 E. Bulwer-Lytton Pelham I. xxviii. 247 A thing of state and solemnity—long faces—early rising—and will-making.
1831 Rep. Judgment Sir John Nicholl in Case of Sturt Grindall 5 The deceased was somewhat of a will maker.
1880 B. Disraeli Endymion I. vi. 59 Events..which alike consigned the will and the will-maker to oblivion.
1980 D. Blake Smith Inside Great House (1986) vi. 231 Will writing was often a kind of summing up, an important, final opportunity for an individual to come to terms with his family, kin and friends.
1991 Which? June 316/1 The couple with very complicated affairs each had a will drawn up by a non-solicitor franchise will-writer.
C2.
will form n. a form on which a will may be made out.In quot. 1887 perhaps a form providing wording which can be copied in drawing up a will.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > transfer of property > testamentary disposition > [noun] > will > form on which will may be written
will form1887
1887 Leeds Mercury Weekly Suppl. 8 Jan. 5/7 The will would hold good providing that the ‘attestation clause’ of testator's signature be properly copied from one of the ‘will forms’ which can be got at most stationers' shops.
1924 D. H. Lawrence England, my England 150 Say I want to see Mr. Whittle as soon as he can, and will he bring a will-form.
1997 Progressive Greetings Nov. 92/2 (advt.) Wallets, holders & covers—driving licences..cheque book—Will Forms. Extensive range of—pencil cases, bows, ribbons, reels, cops.
† will government n. Obsolete arbitrary or autocratic government.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > rule or government > oppression > [noun] > tyranny, despotism, or autocracy
tyrannyc1374
tyrandisea1387
tyrannity1535
absoluteness1574
tyrannism1591
Nimrodizing1605
will government1644
autocracy1659
autarchy1665
Neronism1670
despotism1728
sultanism1821
absolutism1824
autocratism1833
despotocracya1860
tyrannis1878
tyrantship1885
1644 J. Howell Preheminence & Pedigree of Parlement 2 Tyrannicall Rule, and unbounded Will-Government.
1654 R. Snagg Antiq. & Orig. Court of Chancery 7 Ready to endure any pain and loss, rather than..to subject themselves to the Will-government of their new Lords.
† will office n. Obsolete an office in which wills of deceased persons are kept.
ΘΚΠ
society > communication > record > written record > arrangement and storage of written records > [noun] > place where official records are kept > specific
rolls1527
paper-office1637
pell officea1650
will office1672
land-office1681
1672 A. Wood Life & Times (1892) II. 243 This journey was taken to London by A. W. purposely to peruse the Will-Office then in or neare Exeter-house.
1895 Pennsylvania Mag. Hist. & Biogr. 19 272 It is ‘supposed’ that these two families were ‘related’. That there were so, certainly, is shown by Major Jasper Farmar's will (No. 20, Book A, p. 25, Philadelphia Will Office).
† will-strong adj. Obsolete strong-willed; headstrong.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > decision > obstinacy or stubbornness > [adjective] > wilful
onwileOE
wilfulc1200
willesfulc1225
headstronga1398
wilsomea1400
headya1425
overthrowing?a1425
self-willya1425
self-willedc1450
sensual1524
wayward1528
headish1530
affectionate1534
self-will1562
strongheaded1579
hard-mouthed1610
brag-brained1648
self-wilful1648
overwilled1650
will-strong1654
cobby1785
willyart1791
brain-strong1863
1654 T. Gataker Disc. Apol. 73 His Will-strong Objector.
1866 E. P. Whipple Character & Characteristic Men 322 No opinionated, will-strong, untamable passion.
† will-wisdom n. Obsolete wisdom derived from one's will or imagination apart from divine influence.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > [noun] > wisdom depending on will
will-wisdom1565
the mind > mental capacity > understanding > wisdom, sagacity > [noun] > without divine influence
will-wisdom1565
anthroposophy1863
1565 J. Calfhill Aunswere Treat. Crosse f. 115v The talke of folly, commeth after thys wyll wysedome.
1647 J. Trapp Comm. Epist. & Rev. (Rev. xiii. 18) Humane inventions and will-wisdome.
† will-work n. Obsolete a work performed by the human will, without divine grace (cf. will-worship n.); (also) such work collectively.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > [noun] > work performed by will
will-work1537
the world > action or operation > doing > [noun] > an act or deed > performed without divine grace
will-work1537
1537 tr. H. Latimer Serm. to Clergie sig. A.viv They sayd, & in the pulpet, that wilworkes were more principall, more excellent, & (playnly to vtter what they meane) more acceptable to god than workes of mercy.
1580 T. Vautrollier tr. M. Luther Comm. Epist. to Galathians (new ed.) 85 They take from him ye power both to iustifie and saue, and geue ye same to their owne wilworks.
1667 E. Warren No Præexistence iii. 26 They..shut their Windows against his light, choosing to spend their life in darkness, because it sutes best with their will-Works, which are alwayes shamefac't.
1837 Lit. & Theol. Rev. Mar. 81 Purged of the entire leaven of human will-work and trust in the devices of man's wisdom.
C3. In compounds formed with to followed by a noun or infinitive (cf. sense 5c), chiefly used (often hyphenated) in terms for supposed natural instincts or drives. [In uses followed by a noun partly after German Wille zu (1883 in Nietzsche in Wille zur Macht , or earlier: see the etymological notes at will to power n., will to life n., and will to live n.).]
will to art n. the drive to produce artistic creations in a particular style. [Probably after German Kunstwollen ( A. Riegl Stilfragen (1893) Pref. p. vii) < Kunst art (see Kunst n.) + Wollen , use as noun of wollen will v.1 Perhaps compare also German Kunstwille and Wille zur Kunst (respectively a1871 and a1888 in Nietzsche).]
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > [noun] > will as natural instinct or drive
will to art1920
the mind > will > intention > [noun] > intention or purpose
willeOE
highOE
thoughtOE
intent?c1225
achesounc1230
attenta1250
couragec1320
devicec1320
minda1325
studya1382
understanding1382
suggestionc1390
meaninga1393
i-minda1400
minta1400
tent1399
castc1400
ettlingc1400
affecta1425
advicec1425
intention1430
purposec1430
proposea1450
intendment1450
supposing?c1450
pretensionc1456
intellectionc1460
zeal1492
hest?a1513
minting?a1513
institute?1520
intendingc1525
mindfulness1530
cogitationa1538
fordrift1549
forecast1549
designing1566
tention1587
levela1591
intendiment1595
design1597
suppose1597
aim1598
regarda1616
idea1617
contemplationa1631
speculation1631
view1634
way of thinking1650
designation1658
tend1663
would1753
predetermination1764
will to art1920
1920 Sewanee Rev. Apr. 173 Literature is forever tending to become a polished and pleasing rhetoric, the creation of a sensitive intelligence and a strong will-to-art rather than of simple unsophisticated feeling.
1929 H. Read Staffs. Pottery Figures 21 The ‘folk’ spirit which makes the early salt-glaze..figures so precious as evidences of an innate ‘will-to-art’.
2003 H. Belting Art Hist. after Modernism iv. 26 In a book published in 1893, Stilfragen..Alois Riegl laid the foundations for an art scholarship dedicated to pure form... The ‘will to art’, as he summarized the dynamics of the art process, was in the end a declaration of style.
will to be n. the drive within a being to promote its own existence; the desire for life; = will to live n.
ΚΠ
1901 Philos. Rev. 10 553 The will to be, which underlies all our life, implies the will to be by and of one's self, a desire which is futile in a finite being.
1945 W. de la Mare Burning-glass & Other Poems 12 And naught but his marooned precarious self For questing consciousness and will-to-be.
1972 D. V. Tansley Radionics iv. 33 The ancient seers of India..observed that the base chakra was responsible for..providing a channel for the will-to-be to express itself.
1992 Early Amer. Lit. 27 215 In her decline into melancholia Eliza practices an almost ascetic refusal of artifice, of the will to be.
will to believe n. the inclination to accept a particular belief, esp. an article of religious faith.Popularized by the title of William James's essay (see quot. 1897).
ΚΠ
1891 G. B. Shaw Let. 29 July (1965) I. 301 John Robertson seeks for facts that support his will-to-believe that Materialist-Rationalists are the only honest Secularists.
1897 W. James Will to Believe 1 I have brought with me..a defence of our right to adopt a believing attitude in religious matters, in spite of the fact that our merely logical intellect may not have been coerced. ‘The Will to Believe’, accordingly, is the title of my paper.
1931 J. S. Huxley What dare I Think? iv. 143 Only by banishing the driving force of emotion and the false certitude of the will-to-believe..does she [sc. Science] arrive at greater power.
1986 H. S. Stout New Eng. Soul (2012) ii. 39 Although the work of the Holy Spirit and their will to believe might seem simultaneous the work of the Spirit came first in order of ‘nature’.
will to life n. Philosophy the drive within a being to promote its own existence; a drive to produce and continue the species; the desire for life; = will to live n. [After German Wille zum Leben ( A. Schopenhauer Welt als Wille u. Vorstellung (1819) iv. 393; compare also the note at will to live n.). In quot. 1907 immediately after German Wille des Lebens (1886 in the passage translated), itself echoing Schopenhauer's use of Wille zum Leben.]
ΚΠ
1907 H. Zimmern tr. F. Nietzsche Beyond Good & Evil ix. 226 ‘Exploitation’ does not belong to a depraved, or imperfect and primitive society: it belongs to the nature of the living being as a primary organic function; it is a consequence of the intrinsic Will to Power, which is precisely the Will to Life [Ger. der eben der Wille des Lebens ist].
1952 Hudson Rev. 5 269 If Ubu Roi remains a burlesque and a happy trick, well, that's a tribute to the will to life in those left alive.
2005 D. Jacquette Philos. of Schopenhauer iv. 111 Schopenhauer's concept of the will to life is an expansion made for emphasis, a redundancy, in fact, for what he otherwise speaks of more economically as simply the individual empirical will or willing.
will to live n. (a) Philosophy the drive within a being to promote its own existence; a drive to produce and continue the species; (b) the enjoyment of living, the desire for life, esp. in to lose the will to live (sometimes in trivial use). [In sense (a) after German Wille zum Leben (see will to life n.); the English term is probably influenced by the fact that will to is more usually followed by a verb than by a noun.]
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > source or principle of life > vital principle > [noun]
souleOE
lifeOE
spiritusOE
bloodOE
ghostOE
life and soulOE
quickship?c1225
quicknessc1230
breatha1300
spirita1325
spark1382
naturec1385
sparkle1388
livelinessa1398
rational soula1398
spiracle1398
animal spirit?a1425
vital spiritc1450
soul of the world1525
candle1535
fire1576
three souls1587
vitality?1592
candlelight1596
substance1605
vivacity1611
animality1615
vividity1616
animals1628
life spring1649
archeus1651
vital1670
spirituosity1677
springs of life1681
microcosmetor1684
vital force1702
vital spark (also flame)1704
stamen1718
vis vitae1752
prana1785
Purusha1785
jiva1807
vital force1822
heartbeat1828
world-soul1828
world-spirit1828
life energy1838
life force1848
ghost soul1869
will to live1871
biogen1882
ki1893
mauri1897
élan vital1907
orgone1942
the mind > will > [noun] > will as natural instinct or drive > specific
vitativeness1843
will to live1871
will to power1896
the mind > emotion > pleasure > joy, gladness, or delight > [noun] > joy of living
living1809
Lebenslust1857
will to live1871
joie de vivre1889
1871 Jrnl. Anthropol. 1 324 That individual, according to which the will to live in the abstract, as realised in the whole species, feels a desire, proportionate to its intensity.
1886 R. B. Haldane & J. Kemp tr. A. Schopenhauer World as Will & Idea III. xliv. 343 What draws two individuals of different sex exclusively to each other with such power is the will to live, which exhibits itself in the whole species, and which here anticipates in the individual which these two can produce an objectification of its nature answering to its aims.
1903 G. K. Chesterton Robert Browning vi. 139 That really boisterous will to live which may be found in Martin Chuzzlewit.
1926 J. Galsworthy Silver Spoon i. xiv. 110 Humanity has got to save itself! To save itself—what was that, after all, but expression of ‘the will to live’?
1944 Life 30 Oct. 76/1 Many lost the will to live and virtually starved themselves to death.
1977 Times 2 Dec. 21/3 The [Crown] agents' ‘remarkable will to live’ pushed them into critical change in their financial operation in 1966.
2011 S. Brahmachari Artichoke Hearts 16 Before I've even opened my mouth, everyone knows how embarrassed I am, and after that I just clam up and lose the will to live.
will to power n. (also †will unto power) Philosophy and Psychology (in the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche, and later in analytic psychology, esp. Alfred Adler's individual psychology) the driving force behind all human behaviour which should lead to self-mastery but when frustrated can become the will to dominate others; (in extended use) the drive to exercise power over other people; cf. power drive n. 3. [After German Wille zur Macht (a1877 in Nietzsche; 1883 in the source translated in quot. 1896), itself after Wille zum Leben (see will to life n.). Nietzsche's German phrase is attested in psychology contexts from at least 1914, and in the works of Alfred Adler from at least 1922.]
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > [noun] > will as natural instinct or drive > specific
vitativeness1843
will to live1871
will to power1896
the mind > will > motivation > [noun] > incitement or instigation > that which incites or instigates
prickleOE
pritchOE
alighting1340
brodc1375
bellowsc1386
pricka1387
motivec1390
prompting1402
preparativec1450
stirmentc1460
incentive?a1475
fomenta1500
farda1522
instigation1526
pointing1533
swinge1548
spur1551
whetstone1551
goad1567
promptitude1578
alarm1587
inducement1593
solicitor1594
incitement1596
inflammation1597
instance1597
excitement1604
moving spirit1604
heart-blood1606
inflamer1609
rouser1611
stimulator1614
motioner1616
incensivea1618
incitative1620
incitation1622
whettera1625
impulsivea1628
excitation1628
incendiary1628
dispositive1629
fomentationa1631
switch1630
stirrer1632
irritament1634
provocative1638
impetus1641
driving force1642
driving power1642
engagement1642
firer1653
propellant1654
fomentary1657
impulse1660
urgency1664
impeller1686
fillip1699
shove1724
incitive1736
stimulative1747
bonus1787
stimulus1791
impellent1793
stimulant1794
propulsion1800
instigant1833
propulsive1834
motive power1836
evoker1845
motivity1857
afflatus1865
flip1881
urge1882
agent provocateur1888
will to power1896
a shot in the arm1922
motivator1929
driver1971
co-driver1993
1896 A. Tille tr. F. Nietzsche Thus spake Zarathustra ii. 163 Wherever I found living matter I found will unto power [Ger. Wo ich Lebendiges fand, da fand ich Willen zur Macht].
1907 H. Zimmern tr. F. Nietzsche Beyond Good & Evil 20 Life itself is Will to Power.
1923 J. S. van Teslaar tr. W. Stekel Psychoanal. ii. 61 That ‘will to power’ means, ‘Above all, I want to be loved.’.. Will to power is will to be loved.
c1925 D. H. Lawrence Virgin & Gipsy (1930) ii. 35 Yvette suddenly saw the stony, implacable will-to-power in the old..Granny.
1948 R. Stagner Psychol. of Personality (ed. 2) xv. 288 Adler believed..that the will to power was a fundamental drive, and that it was thwarted by some inferiority.
1976 J. Goode in J. Mitchell & A. Oakley Rights & Wrongs of Women vii. 232 Partly this is based on a will to power, the demand for a totally submissive love.
1985 E. Gellner Psychoanalytic Movement i. 27 The Will to Power is a far, far more disturbing, more corrosive idea for human optimism than is the domination of the human psyche by sexuality.
2011 New Yorker 12 Dec. 50/1 In her account, there is little more to Sarkozy than his will to power—the freakish energy, the retail politician's compulsive need to impose himself on crowds and win their love.
will to win n. the drive to overcome an adversary or difficult circumstances; an instance of this.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > wish or inclination > desire > aspiration or ambition > [noun] > object of aspiration
ambitionc1475
markc1550
prize1569
Americaa1631
will to win1917
1917 E. B. Barrett Will to Win viii. 62 It gives us the dogged tenacity to hold out... It awakens the ‘no surrender’ spirit. It spells victory. It means the Will to Win.
1939 C. H. Madge & T. H. Harrisson Brit. by Mass-observ. (2009) iv. 127 He explained that no one could go on with wrestling unless they had enthusiasm and will-to-win.
2002 P. Augar & J. Palmer Rise Player Manager iii. 38 In the first category we found a will to win and a belief that in today's tough business climate only those with a killer instinct would come through.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2021; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

† willn.2

Forms: Middle English wil, Middle English will.
Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: will adj.
Etymology: < will adj.
Obsolete. rare.
Bewilderment, confusion.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > perplexity, bewilderment > [noun]
mingingOE
riddleOE
cumbermentc1300
willa1325
encumbrancec1330
were1338
perplexitya1393
discomfiturea1425
cumbrancec1460
confuse1483
proplexity1487
perplexion?c1500
amazedness?1520
amazement1553
subversion1558
amaze?1560
perplexednessa1586
confusedness1587
puzzle1599
confusion1600
mizmaze1604
discomfita1616
embarras1627
obfuscation1628
mystery1629
confoundedness1641
puzzledness1662
confuseness1710
puzzlement1731
puzzledom1748
embarrassment1751
puzzleation1767
bepuzzlement1806
conjecture1815
mystification1817
bewilderment1819
perplexment1826
fuddle1827
wilderment1830
discomforture1832
head-scratching1832
baffle1843
posement1850
muddlement1857
turbidity1868
fogging1878
bemuddlement1884
harl1889
befuddlement1905
turbidness1906
wuzziness1942
perplexability1999
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 1079 Wil siðen cam on euerilc-on.
c1440 (?a1400) Morte Arthure l. 3836 (MED) For wondsom and will all his wit failede.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2021).

willn.3

Brit. /wɪl/, U.S. /wɪl/
Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: will v.1
Etymology: < will v.1
Usually coupled with shall (see shall n.).
1. An utterance of the auxiliary verb ‘will’; (also) a command, promise, or determination expressed by such an utterance.
ΚΠ
1677 R. Gilpin Dæmonol. Sacra i. xiii. 103 These wills and shalls of wicked Men, are for the most part God's interpretation of their Acts and Carriage.
1843 Spiritual Mag. July 156/1 How blessed are the shalls and wills in the Bible.
1999 M. Garber in R. Wilson Christopher Marlowe ii. 37 But in..Tamburlaine's death scene—his wills and shalls have been rendered empty of performative power.
2. The auxiliary verb ‘will’ as used in contradistinction to ‘shall’.The complementary distribution of the two auxiliaries (chiefly when used with future reference), especially as it differs between varieties of English, has been a subject of discussion and attempted regulation among grammarians since the 17th century.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > linguistics > study of grammar > a part of speech > verb > [noun] > auxiliary verb > modal > specific
shall1837
will1837
1837 T. B. Macaulay Ld. Bacon in Edinb. Rev. July 365 Not one Londoner in a million ever misplaces his will and shall.
1891 Daily News 26 June 5/2 Perhaps no Scot ever yet mastered his ‘shalls’ and ‘wills’.
2013 M. Cutts Oxf. Guide to Plain Eng. (ed. 4) ii. 42 The old rule was that..when writing of promises, obligations, or commands the wills and shalls would change places.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2021; most recently modified version published online December 2021).

† Willn.4

Origin: From a proper name. Etymon: proper name Will.
Etymology: < Will, pet form of the male forename William (see William n.), after will-o'-the-wisp n.
British regional. Obsolete.
A creature or spirit imagined as embodied in or carrying the phosphorescent light seen hovering or floating at night on marshy ground. Cf. will-o'-the-wisp n. 1a.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the supernatural > supernatural being > [noun] > other types of spirit
fury1574
astral spirits1647
ardour1667
presence1667
Willa1718
rolling calf1845
Stella Maris1876
tommyknocker1895
a1718 T. Parnell Poems Several Occasions (1721) 42 Will, who bears the wispy Fire To trail the Swains among the Mire.
1788 in W. Collins Ode Pop. Superstit. Highlands vi. 15 Let not dank Will mislead you to the heath.
1888 G. M. Fenn Dick o' the Fens viii You may go right into the bog and be smothered, and that's what the wills like.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2021).

willv.1

Brit. /wɪl/, U.S. /wɪl/
Inflections: Present 1st, 2nd, 3rd singular and plural will; negative won't Brit. /wəʊnt/, U.S. /woʊnt/; 2nd singular (archaic) wilt Brit. /wɪlt/, U.S. /wɪlt/; past 1st, 2nd, 3rd singular and plural would Brit. /wʊd/, U.S. /wʊd/; negative wouldn't Brit. /ˈwʊdnt/, U.S. /ˈwʊdnt/; 2nd singular (archaic) wouldst Brit. /wʊdst/, U.S. /wʊdst/;
Forms: 1. Infinitive (compare branch I.). Old English willan, Old English wyllan, early Middle English wilenn ( Ormulum), Middle English wele, Middle English wole, Middle English wolle, Middle English wulle, Middle English wyle, Middle English–1500s wylle, Middle English–1600s wil, Middle English–1600s wille, Middle English– will. See also forms with the proclitic negative particle at nill v. (Forms 1α).OE Ælfric Gram. (St. John's Oxf.) 200 Uelle, wyllan.c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 5297 & te birrþ wilenn swelltenn.a1425 (?a1400) G. Chaucer Romaunt Rose (Hunterian) (1891) l. 2482 Thou shalt not willen to passen away.a1475 Bp. Grossetest's Househ. Stat. (Sloane 1986) in Babees Bk. (2002) i. 331 Strangers,..the wh[i]che they knowen you to wille for to admitte and receyue.c1475 (?c1400) Apol. Lollard Doctr. (1842) 49 To wylen to mak God felow of þis violence.1530 Myroure Oure Ladye (Fawkes) (1873) iii. 313 In that he ys father, he muste nedes wylle all good to hys chyldren.1684 F. Bernard Christian Duty xxvi. 158 The charmes..would allure your hearts, and force them..to will him good. 2. Present indicative. a. 1st singular. (i).

α. early Old English wielle, early Old English willa (Kentish), Old English uillo (Northumbrian), Old English willo (Northumbrian), Old English wyllo (Northumbrian), Old English–Middle English wile (chiefly late), Old English–1500s wylle, Old English–1600s wille, Middle English vil, Middle English ville, Middle English wiele, Middle English–1500s wyl, Middle English–1500s wyle, Middle English–1600s wil, Middle English–1600s wyll, Middle English– will; English regional (northern) 1700s–1800s win; Scottish pre-1700 uill, pre-1700 vil, pre-1700 vill, pre-1700 ville, pre-1700 vyl, pre-1700 vyll, pre-1700 wil, pre-1700 wyl, pre-1700 wyll, pre-1700 1700s– will. See also forms with the proclitic negative particle at nill v. (Forms 1α).OE West Saxon Gospels: Matt. (Corpus Cambr.) xx. 15 Oþþe ne mot ic don þæt ic wylle?lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough interpolation) anno 656 Ic þe wile finden þærto gold & siluer, land & ahte.lOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Bodl.) (2009) I. iii. 246 Ic nu wille geornlice to Gode cleopian.a1275 in C. Brown Eng. Lyrics 13th Cent. (1932) 55 Of on ic wille singen þat is makeles.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 4095 I will ful fayn.c1480 (a1400) St. Andrew 1049 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) I. 93 I wyll ane vthyre questione send hym till.1589 ‘Pasquill of England’ Returne of Pasquill sig. Aiv I wyll picke out a time to pepper them.1653 I. Walton Compl. Angler iv. 125 I wil give you more directions concerning fishing.1797 A. Radcliffe Italian I. ix. 265 I will unmask him.1990 Courier-Mail (Brisbane) 3 May 9/8 I will personally select them.

β. Northumbrian (rare) Old English uællo, Old English wælle, Old English wællo. OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: Luke xx. 3 Interrogabo uos et ego : wællo fregna iuih & ic.

γ. early Middle English wullen (south-west midlands), Middle English ule, Middle English uule, Middle English uulle, Middle English wlle, Middle English wul, Middle English wule, Middle English wulle, Middle English–1500s wull; English regional 1800s hull, 1800s ul, 1800s ull, 1800s wull; Scottish 1700s– wull; Irish English (northern) 1800s– wull. See also forms with the proclitic negative particle at nill v. (Forms 1γ).c1175 ( Ælfric's Homily on Nativity of Christ (Bodl. 343) in A. O. Belfour 12th Cent. Homilies in MS Bodl. 343 (1909) 88 Ic wulle þæt ic underȝite & munen.?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 80 Ach ich wule unfalden.1424 in F. J. Furnivall Fifty Earliest Eng. Wills (1882) 58 I wul þat Thomas my sone haue..myn oþer wepen.1548 in F. Collins Wills & Admin. Knaresborough Court Rolls (1902) I. 54 I wull that Agnes Mallom have one hessilld whie.1778 H. Brooke Female Officer ii. i, in Coll. Pieces IV. 284 By the cross of St. Andrew, I wull slice you as I wad a coucumber!1869 A. Macdonald Love, Law & Theol. xxiv. 542 Oh, but a wull mind.1877 R. De B. Trotter Galloway Gossip Sixty Years Ago 81 I'll droon ye in the wal, so I wull.1943 S. H. Bell Summer Loanen in Erin's Orange Lily & Summer Loanen (1996) 155 I wull, Nannie, I wull!2017 M. McCabe Two Closes & Referendum viii. 199 So ah wull.

δ. Middle English vvol, Middle English woole, Middle English–1500s wol, Middle English–1500s wolle, Middle English–1600s wole, Middle English–1600s woll; English regional (chiefly southern and midlands) 1800s 'ool, 1800s wol, 1800s woll, 1800s–1900s ool, 1800s–1900s wool, 1900s wuol; Irish English (Wexford) 1700s–1800s woul. See also forms with the proclitic negative particle at nill v. (Forms 1γ).a1275 St. Margaret (Trin. Cambr.) l. 58 in A. S. M. Clark Seint Maregrete & Body & Soul (Ph.D. diss., Univ. of Michigan) (1972) 21 To him wol ic calle.?a1300 Iacob & Iosep (Bodl.) (1916) l. 207 Ich wole þe make richest man after oure kinge.c1300 St. James Great (Laud) l. 231 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 41 Ich it wolle hennes lede.?c1500 Mary Magdalene (Digby) 1986 I woll ponysch swych personnes with perplyxcyon.1534 N. Udall Floures for Latine Spekynge gathered oute of Terence f. 82v I wolle shewe you an olde and antyke thynge.a1542 T. Wyatt Coll. Poems (1969) 123 Then woll I crave with suryd confidence.1614 W. Browne Shepheards Pipe i. sig. B8 I wole anon right with my knife My selfe slay.1651 Hermeticall Banquet 82 Then drink't I wooll.1684 in B. Cusack Everyday Eng. 1500–1700 (1998) 220 I woll wriet to yow at anoder ocesion.1802 R. Bloomfield Rural Tales 3 Ay, Kate, I wool.1875 ‘S. Beauchamp’ N. Hamilton II. 17 A thinks a ool.

ε. Middle English wele, Middle English well, Middle English welle; Irish English (Wexford) 1800s weel. See also forms with the proclitic negative particle at nill v. (Forms 1β).c1330 Otuel (Auch.) (1882) l. 515 Ich wele ben at acent, Þat þou sschalt wedde belecent.c1430 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (Cambr. Gg.4.27) (1882) iv. l. 301 Þus I in derknes Myn woful lyf wele endyn for distresse.c1450 C. d'Orleans Poems (1941) 44 I welle no more my fayntid gost to myght.

(ii). With personal pronoun affixed. (a) With proclitic pronoun. Old English icylle, early Middle English chule (after I pron.), early Middle English chulle (after I pron.), Middle English ichelle, Middle English ichil, Middle English ichille, Middle English icholle, Middle English ichul, Middle English ichule, Middle English ichulle, Middle English ychelle, Middle English ychul, Middle English ychull, Middle English ychulle, Middle English ychylle, Middle English (south-west midlands, after I pron.)–1500s chil, 1500s chyll, 1500s–1600s (1700s– regional) chill, 1600s 'chill. English regional 1700s chell (south-western). Scottish 1700s I'il. OE Ælfric Gram. (St. John's Oxf.) 199 Volo, icylle.a1250 Lofsong Louerde in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 213 Forto þe one ich chulle trusten.a1250 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Nero) (1952) 55 For ȝif & ichulle forȝiue ðe.a1350 (?c1225) King Horn (Harl.) (1901) l. 3 A song ychulle ou singe.a1450 St. Edith (Faust.) (1883) l. 910 Sone, he sayde, y chulle ȝow telle.a1529 J. Skelton Tunnyng of Elynour Rummyng in Certayne Bks. (?1545) 6 Tell you I chyll..of a comely gryll, That dwelt on a hyll.1575 W. Stevenson Gammer Gurtons Nedle ii. iv. sig. Cii By the masse chil rather spend the cote that is on my backe.1578 G. Whetstone Promos & Cassandra: 2nd Pt. iii. ii. sig. Iiij Ra. What bytest thou, hobclunch? John. Yea, that chull.a1640 J. Rous in MS Ashm. 36 lf. 112 If euor Ice doe come heare againe, Ice zaid, Chil give thee my Mother vor a maid.?1659 J. Locke Let. 12 Dec. in Corr. J. Locke (1976) I. 134 Chill tell you what cause made soe bold to write these few lines to your womanship.1724 Johnie Armstrang in A. Ramsay Ever Green II. 192 I'il gie thee all these Milk whyt Steids.1738 Defoe's Tour Great Brit. (ed. 2) I. 319 Their abridging the Speech,..Chill, for I will..and the like.1746 Exmoor Scolding (ed. 3) i. 7 Chell make thy Yead addle.1979 N. Rogers Wessex Dial. 35 In a small area of Somerset..at least until a few years ago, if not at present, the old pronoun ich could be heard as in 'chill, I will or 'cham, I am. (b) With enclitic pronoun. Old English (Northumbrian)–early Middle English willic, early Middle English wilich, Middle English whilli, Middle English willi, Middle English willy, Middle English wily, Middle English wolli, Middle English wolly, Middle English woly, Middle English wyly. OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: Matt. xv. 32 Misereor turbae : will ic milsa ðreatas uel ðæm menigum.?a1300 (a1250) Harrowing of Hell (Digby) (1907) l. 75 Wiþ reisoun willy tellen þe.a1450 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Lamb.) (1887) i. 4238 By letteres woly hem first somoune.a1450 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Lamb.) (1887) i. l. 4595 Ȝit wyly make assay.a1450 St. Edith (Faust.) (1883) 687 Now wolly telle ȝow forther-more þe nomes of þe founders.a1500 (?c1300) Northern Passion (Harl. 215) l. 401 Ffor þe paune [read þanne] whilli take þat deþ. (iii). Contracted (as enclitic form after I). 1500s–1600s -l'e, 1500s–1700s (1800s– nonstandard) -le, 1500s–1700s (1800s– nonstandard) -'le, 1500s– -'ll. 1577 G. Whetstone Remembraunce Gaskoigne sig. A.iij Ile trust vnto my wit.1591 R. Greene Maidens Dreame lii I'll place his ghost among the hierarchies.1611 T. Heywood Golden Age i. sig. C3 I'le not kill my part.a1616 W. Shakespeare Two Gentlemen of Verona (1623) ii. vi. 29 And Valentine Ile hold an Enemie.1677 T. Hobbes in tr. Homer Iliads (ed. 2) To Rdr. sig. A3v I'll name as many as shall come into my mind.1700 W. Congreve Way of World i. i. 15 I'll take a turn before Dinner.a1837 A. Gossling Let. in T. Sokoll Essex Pauper Lett. (2001) 565 Ile do the Best I Can.1966 F. Shaw et al. Lern Yerself Scouse 42 Ile mug yer, allow me to treat you.2020 New Yorker 25 May 6/3 I'll tell you the secret. (iv). With negative particle affixed. 1500s–1600s wonnot, 1600s woonnot, 1600s–1700s wo'not, 1600s–1700s (1800s– nonstandard) wont, 1600s– won't, 1800s 'ont (Welsh English); English regional 1800s oa-n, 1800s oant, 1800s ont, 1800s 'ont, 1800s 'oolna, 1800s oona, 1800s oonna, 1800s oont, 1800s 'oon't, 1800s waint, 1800s weant, 1800s wean't, 1800s weeant, 1800s weent, 1800s wert, 1800s willent, 1800s willn't, 1800s willot, 1800s wiln't, 1800s winnaw, 1800s winner, 1800s winno, 1800s winnot, 1800s winot, 1800s wi'nt, 1800s wirnd, 1800s woan't, 1800s wonna, 1800s wonnet, 1800s wonnot, 1800s wonot, 1800s woona, 1800s woonot, 1800s wo't, 1800s wullent, 1800s wunna, 1800s wunnet, 1800s wunno, 1800s wunnot, 1800s wurt, 1800s wut, 1800s wuten, 1800s–1900s waant, 1800s–1900s winna, 1800s–1900s winnet, 1800s–1900s winnut, 1800s–1900s wunt, 1800s–1900s wun't, 1900s waent; Scottish 1700s– winna, 1700s– winnae, 1800s wonnot, 1800s– wullna, 1800s– wunna, 1900s– willna, 1900s– willnae, 1900s– willny, 1900s– winny. For forms with proclitic negative particle, see nill v. (Forms 1).1584 R. Wilson Three Ladies of London D Sirra Ile tell thee, I wonnot tell thee, and yet Ile tell thee, nowe I member me too.1631 J. Shirley Schoole of Complement iv. i. 56 I..can worke, and woonnot.a1643 W. Cartwright Ordinary (1651) iv. iv. 71 I won't be fubb'd ensure your self.1740 S. Richardson Pamela II. 290 I cannot, I wo'not sit down at Table with her.1820 W. Scott Abbot II. ii. 45 To leave the place while the lad is in jeopardy, that I wonot.1997 L. Hird Nail & Other Stories (1999) 89 I winnae get a 44 again in a hurry.2013 Huffington Post (Nexis) 25 Sept. I won't speculate on the inner workings. (v). With negative particle and personal pronoun affixed. (a) With enclitic pronoun. Middle English nellic, Middle English nellich, Middle English nulich, Middle English nulli, Middle English nullich, Middle English nully; (b) With proclitic pronoun. 1700s chawnt (English regional (Devon)). c1225 (?c1200) St. Juliana (Royal) l. 53 No lengre nulich [c1225 Bodl. nule ich] hit heolen þe.?a1300 Iacob & Iosep (Bodl.) (1916) l. 463 Nellich nouȝt..ȝoure trouþe þat ȝe breke.a1350 (?c1225) King Horn (Harl.) (1901) l. 1146 Icham come to fyssh drynke nully of dyssh.1746 Exmoor Scolding (ed. 3) ii. 13 Ched et in my Meend, and zo chave still. But chawnt drow't out bevore tha begen'st agen, and then chell. (vi). With the infinitive of be v. affixed. 1500s wolbe, 1500s wylbe, 1500s–1600s wilbe. 1526 Bible (Tyndale) Heb. viii. 12 I wilbe mercifull over their iniquyties.a1530 in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eng. Hist. (1846) 3rd Ser. II. 153 Very gladde I wolbe that he in that romethe myght doo your most excelent Grace service.1535 in T. Wright Three Chapters Lett. Suppression Monasteries (1843) 76 Whan I have visite hys see, this nyght I wilbe at Feversham Abbay.c1584–5 W. Raleigh Lett. (1999) 18 I wilbe redy to requot you in any thinge I may.a1626 W. Rowley New Wonder (1632) iii I will Give you the fore Horse place, and I wilbe in the Fill's. b. 2nd singular. (i).

α. Old English (Northumbrian) early Middle English ( Ormulum) willt, Old English–1500s wylt, Old English–1600s (1700s– archaic) wilt, Middle English whilte, Middle English whylte, Middle English wilth, Middle English wit, Middle English with, Middle English wyltȝ, Middle English wyt, Middle English–1500s wilte, Middle English–1500s wylte. See also forms with proclitic negative particle at nill v. (Forms 1α).OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: Matt. xxvi. 39 Non sicut ego uolo sed sicut tu uis : nallas sua ic wille ah sua ðu wilt.c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 2039 & ȝiff þatt tu willt tælenn me.a1400 (c1303) R. Mannyng Handlyng Synne (Harl.) l. 3730 Ȝyf þou yn yre a man hate, And þat wraþþe wylt nat late.a1500 (?c1450) Merlin ii. 34 Yeve us counseile how thow wilte we shall sey.1531 T. Elyot Bk. named Gouernour i. xiii. sig. Giijv If thou wylte eshewe bytter aduenture.1563 P. Whitehorne tr. Onasander Of Generall Captaine & his Office f. 123 If thou wylt that speadelye some woorke be..doone.1712 J. Arbuthnot Lewis Baboon iv. vi. 30 Wilt thou purchase it Nic.?1849 M. Arnold Strayed Reveller, & Other Poems 43 Wilt thou they straightway bring him in?1997 Resource Packet for Neo-Paganism & Witchcraft 187 An it harm none, do what thou wilt.

β. Middle English ult, Middle English uult, Middle English wlt, Middle English wt, Middle English wulte, Middle English–1500s (1600s in representations of regional (southern) speech) wult; English regional 1800s ullt, 1800s–1900s wult; Scottish 1800s wult. See also forms with proclitic negative particle at nill v. (Forms 1γ).c1175 ( Homily (Bodl. 343) in S. Irvine Old Eng. Homilies (1993) 141 Ȝyf þu wult fallen to mine fotum.a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 25 Þu wult bi-haten god almihtin..þet þu wult forleten þine misdede.c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 349 Ȝif þu wlt [c1300 Otho wolt] þu miht wel.c1450 tr. G. Deguileville Pilgrimage Lyfe Manhode (Cambr.) (1869) 96 If thou wult..thou shalt make him chek and maat.c1484 (a1475) J. de Caritate tr. Secreta Secret. (Takamiya) (1977) 172 Qwan þu wulte yef a medycine, loke in qwat sygne be þe mone and þe sonne.1558 T. Phaer tr. Virgil Seuen First Bks. Eneidos vi. sig. S.j Wult see the Tarquin kings??1616 W. Goddard Mastif Whelp lxxi. sig. F3v Zest Vather wat tou wult.1857 H. S. Riddell Bk. Psalms Lowland Scotch lxxxv. 5 Wult thou twyne owt thine angir til a' genaeratians?

γ. Middle English–1500s wolte, Middle English–1600s wolt, 1600s wol't, 1700s wou'lt, 1700s woul't; English regional 1800s oolt, 1800s 'ootl, 1800s woolt, 1800s woul't; Scottish pre-1700 wolt. See also forms with proclitic negative particle at nill v. (Forms 1γ).c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 790 Goffar mid þire ferde wi wolt þu fleam makian. ▸ a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) i. l. 2254 If thou wolt live In vertu, thou most vice eschuie.c1450 (?a1400) R. Caistor Prayer to Jesus (Lamb.) in Hymns to Virgin & Christ (1867) 17 Bringe, if þou wolt, þo soulis to blis.1540 J. Palsgrave tr. G. Gnapheus Comedye of Acolastus ii. iii. sig. Mij Wolte thou not take vs in to the nomber of thy clientes?1602 J. Marston Hist. Antonio & Mellida i. sig. C2 Wolt doe me a fauour?a1640 J. Day & H. Chettle Blind-beggar (1659) sig. D3 Wol't say I lye? thou hadst as good eat a load of logs.a1704 T. Brown Dispensary in 3rd Vol. Wks. (1708) iii. 75 If thee woul't have no Excuse made for thy Uncivility.1881 S. Evans Evans's Leicestershire Words (new ed.) 292 Coom in an' hev a drop o' beer, woolt?

δ. (in Middle English only occurring before a personal pronoun) Middle English wil, Middle English wyll, Middle English– will, 1500s woll; English regional 1800s 'ool, 1800s–1900s wull; Scottish pre-1700 vyl, pre-1700 wil, pre-1700 will, pre-1700 wyll, pre-1700 wylle. Other possible attestations in Middle English and earlier attestations in Old English have been interpreted as showing the subjunctive.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 5632 Wil þou i ga..To fot a womman o þat lede?a1500 (?a1400) Sir Torrent of Portyngale (1887) l. 1794 Spousage wyll thou none lede; There fore thou shalt in to the see.a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1897–1973) 270 Alas, my lam so mylde, whi will thou fare me fro.1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid v. iv. 15 Quhare, dismale, wil thow now? gan Gyas cry.1534 R. Whittington tr. Cicero Thre Bks. Tullyes Offyces i. sig. A.2 Thou shalt lerne as longe as thou woll.1563 G. Hay Confut. Abbote of Crosraguels Masse f. 43 Thou will establishe all these vnsemely beggerly and wicked customes.1745 J. Mason Treat. Self-knowl. i. i. 13 Thou will find nothing here that will flatter thy Self-Esteem.1792 W. Borrow in M. F. G-B. Giner & M. Montgomery Knaresborough Workhouse Daybk. (2003) 196 Thou will drowned me with the chammerly and durt.1796 M. Mitchell Poems 21 There, unpillow'd, will thou lie.1882 E. L. Chamberlain Gloss. W. Worcs. Words xxvii Thee 'ŏŏl, or oolst.1900 E. W. Prevost in Eng. Dial. Dict. II. 659/1 [Cumberland] Wull ta gowe wie me?1931 P. Grainger Let. 16 Apr. in All-round Man (1994) 104 Thou will see that some of the forewords are in ‘Nordic English’ while others are unashamedly in the wonted ‘bastard English.’

ε. Middle English wit (east midlands), Middle English wyt (East Anglian), Middle English wytte (East Anglian), 1600s woot, 1600s w'oot, 1600s woo't, 1600s wot, 1600s wo't, 1600s wut; English regional 1700s wutt, 1800s hoot, 1800s ut, 1800s wit, 1800s–1900s oot, 1800s–1900s woot, 1800s–1900s wut. Earlier evidence is provided by Ling. Atlas Late Mediaeval Eng., which records the form wit from MS Glasgow University Library, Hunterian 117 (second half of the 14th cent.), whose scribal language is placed in Norfolk.a1450 Mandeville's Trav. (Bodl. e Mus.) 23 Yif thow wit not [L. nolueris] don so.?a1475 Ludus Coventriae (1922) 65 A-byde a qwyle sere. Whedyr wytte þou?1602 T. Dekker Blurt Master-Constable sig. C4v Wut open doore?1604 W. Shakespeare Hamlet v. i. 272 Woo't weepe, woo't fight..woo't teare thy selfe.1608 T. Middleton Familie of Love (new ed.) i. sig. A4 v Wo't thou forsake me then?1620 I. C. Two Merry Milke-maids iv. i. sig. L1v Wut thou be iust to me?1639 J. Shirley Ball iv. sig. F3v Thou wot stop a breach in a mudde wall.1782 Exmoor Scolding (ed. 9) 1 As gutter tha wutt whan tha com'st to good Tackling.1844 W. Barnes Poems Rural Life in Dorset Dial. 201 An' thee woot vine a ruozy fiace.

ζ. Middle English welet (eastern), Middle English welt. Earlier evidence is provided by Ling. Atlas Late Mediaeval Eng., which records the form welt from MS Cambridge, St John's College 256 (first quarter of the 14th cent.), whose scribal language is placed in Essex.?c1450 (a1388) tr. Richard of Wallingford Exafrenon (Digby) in J. D. North Wks. Richard of Wallingford (1976) I. 193 What owre thu welet begyn thi dome.

η. English regional 1700s will'st, 1800s oolst, 1800s ootst, 1800s woost, 1800s wost, 1800s wust, 1800s wutst, 1900s oost. 1746 Exmoor Scolding (ed. 3) i. 3 As gutter tha will'st, whan tha com'st to good Tackling.1899 F. W. Bourne Billy Bray 112 I believe it, Lord, I know Thee wost; praise the Lord.

(ii). With personal pronoun affixed. (a) With enclitic pronoun. Old English wylttu, Old English–Middle English wiltu, Middle English uiltu, Middle English viltu, Middle English vuoltou, Middle English weltu, Middle English whylte, Middle English willtou, Middle English willtow, Middle English wilte, Middle English wiltou, Middle English wiltow, Middle English wiltowe, Middle English wolte, Middle English woltou, Middle English woltow, Middle English woltowe, Middle English wostou, Middle English wultow, Middle English wultu, Middle English wyltou, Middle English wyltowe, Middle English wytte, Middle English wyttow, 1900s– wilta (historical). English regional 1800s wilto, 1800s wiltu, 1800s wi'tha, 1800s witsthee, 1800s witto, 1800s wustha. Scottish 1700s wilter, 1700s wiltir, 1700s–1800s willtu, 1700s–1800s wiltu, 1800s wilto, 1900s wilta, 1900s wulta, 1900s wulter, 1900s wultir. ; (b) With proclitic pronoun. late Middle English thall. OE (Mercian) Rushw. Gospels: Matt. xiii. 28 Uisimus [read Uis imus] et colligimus ea : wiltu we gæn & gesomnige hiæ?OE West Saxon Gospels: Matt. (Corpus Cambr.) xx. 21 Þa cwæð he, hwæt wylttu?c1225 (?c1200) St. Katherine (Royal) (1981) l. 941 Hwerto wultu wreastlin wið þe worldes weldent?a1275 in C. Brown Eng. Lyrics 13th Cent. (1932) 38 Wolte sulle þi louerd þat heite iesus? ▸ c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) l. 528 Wilte don mi wille al, Þat i wile biddden þe.c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) l. 6375 Hou woltou it ȝelde me.a1425 (c1333–52) L. Minot Poems (1914) 5 Whider wiltou fare?c1500 Debate Carpenter's Tools in Rev. Eng. Stud. (1987) 38 456 Thall neuer be thryfty man.1683 G. Meriton York-shire Dialogue in Pure Nat. Dial. 7 Ey wallaneerin, wilta gang and see.1721 A. Ramsay Elegy Patie Birnie 23 O wiltu, wiltu do't again!1789 D. Sillar Poems 159 What is't ails thee, Willie, wiltu tell?1855 E. Waugh Sketches Lancs. Life 29 Get tee forrud, wilto, nowmun.1981 J. Stubbs Ironmaster xvi. 211 Give us a light, wilta, Caleb. (iii). Contracted (as enclitic form after thou). 1500s -lt, 1500s–1600s (1700s– regional and archaic) -'lt, 1600s (1700s– regional) -'ll, 1600s (1800s regional) -'t. 1594 W. Shakespeare Titus Andronicus iv. i. 116 Come, come, thoult doe thy message wilt thou not?a1616 W. Shakespeare Timon of Athens (1623) i. i. 197 That's a deed thou't dye for.1633 W. Lithgow Scotlands Welcome sig. E2 Dunbertane..Whose mouldring walls brought low, defective be: Which if thine eyes surveigh, Thou'll cause amend it, And for its situat strength (doubtles) commend it.1786 R. Burns Poems 28 Fortune, if thou'll but gie me..rowth o' rhyme to rave at will.a1849 T. L. Beddoes Death's Jest-bk. ii. i, in Poems (1851) II. 39 And then alone..thou'lt meet her.1934 W. W. Gill Manx Dial. ii. 99 Thou'll have me ruinated with waste an' high livin'.1953 Recorded Interview (Brit. Libr. Sound Archive) Survey Eng. Dial.: C908 (MS transcript) Track 44 [Lancs.] Thou'll hae to corn thy sheep a bit—thou'll take some troughs out and give them a bit of provand, the ewes.1977 W. Foley No Pipe Dreams for Father in Forest Trilogy (1992) 243 I doubt thee'lt ever clap thee eyes on a purtier wench. (iv). With negative particle affixed. English regional. 1800s oolna, 1800s oolstna, 1800s ootent, 1800s oottent, 1800s uttent, 1800s waint, 1800s wean't, 1800s weeant, 1800s wiltno', 1800s winnet, 1800s winnot, 1800s witsn, 1800s wooten't, 1800s wotna, 1800s wunna, 1800s wusten, 1800s wustn't, 1800s wut-n, 1800s wutna, 1800s–1900s oot'n't, 1900s ut'nt-an, 1900s wilt'na, 1900s– winnut. 1859 ‘G. Eliot’ Adam Bede I. i. iv. 79 Thee wotnaget double earnins o' this side Yule.1891 Allan's Tyneside Songs (rev. ed.) 385 Dinnet say thou winnet, hinney.1931 Teesdale Mercury 17 June 3/4 Thou winnut warsle oot o' Penny. (v). With negative particle and personal pronoun affixed. (a) With proclitic negative particle. Middle English neltou, Middle English neltov, Middle English neltow, Middle English neltu, Middle English niltou, Middle English niltow, Middle English niltu, Middle English nultou, Middle English nultu, Middle English nyltou, Middle English nyltow. c1225 (?c1200) St. Katherine (Royal) (1981) l. 471 Nultu nawt tenne þet tu schuldest heien heanin..na mare.a1350 (c1250) Prov. Hendyng (Harl.) l. 35 in K. Böddeker Altengl. Dichtungen (1878) 289 Mote hit al habben is wille, Woltou, nultou [?a1300 Digby Niltou, wiltou], hit wol spille.a1413 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (Pierpont Morgan) (1881) i. l. 794 But ones nyltow for þi coward herte..For wantrust tellen of þi sorwes smerte. (b) With enclitic negative particle. 1700s wiltuna (Scottish). 1726 A. Ramsay Tea-table Misc. II. 46 O sleepy Body, And drowsy Body, O wiltuna waken and turn thee. c. 3rd singular. (i).

α. Old English uil (Northumbrian), Old English–Middle English wile, Old English–Middle English wyle, Old English–1500s wylle, Old English (Northumbrian)–1600s wil, Old English–1600s wille, Old English (Northumbrian)–1600s wyl, Old English (Northumbrian)– will, early Middle English willle (transmission error), Middle English ville, Middle English–1600s wyll; English regional 1700s–1800s win (northern), 1800s 'ill; Scottish pre-1700 uil, pre-1700 uill, pre-1700 vil, pre-1700 vyll, pre-1700 wil, pre-1700 wile, pre-1700 wyl, pre-1700 wyll, pre-1700 1700s vill, pre-1700 1700s– will, 1800s– 'ill; Irish English 1800s 'ill. Many Old English attestations of wille, wylle could alternatively be interpreted as showing the subjunctive. See also forms with the proclitic negative particle at nill v. (Forms 1α).OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: Luke xiii. 31 Herodes uult te occidere : Herodes will [OE West Saxon Gospels: Corpus Cambr. wyle] ðec ofslaa.OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: Matt. xvi. 24 Si quis uult post me uenire : gif hua wil [c1200 West Saxon Gospels: Hatton wile] æfter meh gecyme.a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 57 Gif man beð forwunded, he wile anon sechen after leches.1340 Ayenbite (1866) 57 Huo þet wyle conne and weȝe þe zennes of þe tonge.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 9018 To will als sott sco will him lede.?a1450 (?c1400) Lay Folks' Catech. (Lamb.) (1901) 58 A lyte wyl of þe herte þat he wyl not ȝeve to hys god.a1533 Ld. Berners tr. A. de Guevara Golden Bk. M. Aurelius (1546) sig. Q He wille braie ones or twise.1548 R. Hutten tr. J. Spangenberg Sum of Diuinitie sig. Kviij God wylle all men to be saued.c1550 Complaynt Scotl. (1979) 2 Ther is na prudent man that vil iuge.1621 H. Elsynge Notes Deb. House of Lords (1870) 21 Yf he wyll make an ingenuous confession.1798 J. Austen Let. 1 Dec. (1995) 24 She will do neither.1826 J. Wilson Noctes Ambrosianae xxviii, in Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. Oct. 633 The least rug 'ill bring down the squash.1955 New Shetlander No. 41. 7 Da sun 'ill nug you bye an bye.1997 Independent 20 May i. 2/2 She will be at the forefront of the National Health Service debate.

β. early Middle English wullen (south-west midlands), Middle English wl, Middle English wle, Middle English wule, Middle English wulle, Middle English–1500s wul, Middle English–1700s wull; English regional 1700s–1800s wull, 1800s ul, 1800s ull, 1800s 'ull; Scottish 1800s– wull; Irish English (northern) 1800s– wull. See also forms with proclitic negative particle at nill v. (Forms 1γ).a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 23 He wule hit me forȝeuen.c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 15500 And he wulle..to ȝisle seollen þe his sune.c1450 tr. G. Deguileville Pilgrimage Lyfe Manhode (Cambr.) (1869) 96 Wule he other noon.1528 Rede me & be nott Wrothe sig. eiiijv They eate their belies full, Every man as moche as he wull.1616 B. Jonson Forrest iv. 31 in Wks. I What bird, or beast, is knowne so dull, That fled his cage,..wull Render his head in there againe?1793 C. Macklin Love a la Mode (authorized ed.) ii. 32 Steek to that, she wull be wi' yee in a twankling.1859 ‘G. Eliot’ Adam Bede II. ii. xix. 62 A fool 'ull hit on't sometimes when a wise man misses.1863 J. Hamilton Poems & Ess. 300 Ere a sang or a word i' their praise she wull mird!1913 H. P. Cameron tr. Thomas à Kempis Of Imitation of Christ xliv. 153 It is mair usefu'..till let ilk are think as he wull.2002 J. Barclay Paras over Barras ii. 14 It wull get youse and the rest o' us naewhere!

γ. early Middle English wo (before l), Middle English uol, Middle English uole, Middle English vol, Middle English whole, Middle English whowl, Middle English wole, Middle English wool, Middle English woolle, Middle English 1500s woul, Middle English 1600s wooll, Middle English–1500s wolle, Middle English–1600s wol, Middle English–1700s woll; English regional 1700s–1900s wool, 1800s 'ool, 1800s wol, 1800s woll, 1800s–1900s ool, 1900s wuol; Scottish pre-1700 wole, pre-1700 woll, pre-1700 wolle, pre-1700 wooll; Irish English (Wexford) 1700s–1800s woul. See also forms with proclitic negative particle at nill v. (Forms 1γ).a1275 (?c1200) Prov. Alfred (Trin. Cambr.) (1955) 132 He uole brinhin on & tuenti to nout.c1300 St. Thomas Becket (Laud) l. 121 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 110 Þat þing þat god helpe wole. ▸ a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) Prol. l. 129 The werre wol no pes purchace.1505 F. Marsin et al. Rep. Ferdinand of Arragon in J. Gairdner Historia Regis Henrici Septimi (1858) 261 And so wolle the kynge my lorde do.1557 Ld. Wharton & Ld. Eure in E. Lodge Illustr. Brit. Hist. (1791) I. 267 We know yor Lordship's noble wysdome woll consyder thes.1614 J. Davies in W. Browne Shepheards Pipe sig. G5 And our voice Woll woxon weake.1684 J. Stewart Let. in B. Cusack Everyday Eng. 1500–1700 (1998) 220 [Scotl.] The God of eserall..can & woll cery his pepll..to aland yt flowth wt melk & hony.1700 F. Atterbury Rights Eng. Convocation 347 He woll that this Bill..be committed to the Archbishops and Bishops.1718 J. Fox Wanderer 118 Write me down,..what wool please you.1868 S. Lysons Vulgar Tongue 27 U'll scrat ye, her wool.

δ. Middle English velle, Middle English wel, Middle English wele, Middle English well, Middle English welle; English regional 1700s–1800s el; Scottish pre-1700 weile, pre-1700 well; Irish English (Wexford) 1800s weel. See also forms with proclitic negative particle at nill v. (Forms 1β).a1275 (?c1200) Prov. Alfred (Trin. Cambr.) (1955) 84 God may ȝiuen wanne he wele goed after yuil.a1275 (?c1200) Prov. Alfred (Trin. Cambr.) (1955) 131 Þanne welle he sawin [read saȝin] sone one his worde.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 11524 Ful wele he wele þaim quite þar mede.?c1425 Crafte Nombrynge in R. Steele Earliest Arithm. in Eng. (1922) 15 Doubulle 2. þat wel be 4.a1525 ( Coventry Leet Bk. (1908) II. 397 If he well nott be war by iij warnynges.1790 A. Wheeler Westmorland Dial. ii. 50 Th reek el blaw ea yer feace.

Additional evidence is provided by Ling. Atlas Late Mediaeval Eng., which records the following Middle English forms of the singular, without specifying their person: vill, vyl, vyle, vyll, whil, while, whill, whyll, wy; voll, wll, wolo; vel, we, weele. (ii). With personal pronoun affixed. 1500s heil, 1500s heile, 1600s h'ill, 1600s sche'ill (Scottish). ?1577 Misogonus ii. iii, in R. W. Bond Early Plays from Ital. (1911) 203 At home a while heile abyde.c1603 Philotus xl. sig. B4 Sche'ill nocht be win be na deuyce.1613 W. Gamage Linsi-woolsie i. lxxv. sig. C2 Iudas-like h'ill Haile thee with a kisse. (iii). Contracted (as enclitic form). 1500s–1600s (1900s– nonstandard) -'le, 1600s -l'e, 1600s– -'ll; also Scottish pre-1700 -'le. c1470 King Estmere l. 48 in D. Laing Early Sc. Metrical Tales (1889) 240 I doubt shee'le do you the same.1583 P. Stubbes Anat. Abuses Pref. Poem sig. Aiiv Zoilvs crew, who'le dayly at thee bay.1594 R. Carew tr. T. Tasso Godfrey of Boulloigne 214 He'll Egypt scoure.1859 H. Kingsley Recoll. G. Hamlyn xiv It'll be known all over the country.1885 G. Meredith Diana of Crossways I. viii. 176 The mare'll do it well,..She has had her feed.1953 S. Grapes Boy John Lett. (1974) 60 Dornt she'le gi' me nitemare.2000 Canoeist Apr. 39/1 It'll soon be Christmas. (iv). With negative particle affixed. 1600s–1700s (1800s– nonstandard) wont, 1600s– won't, 1700s we'n't, 1800s–1900s willn't (nonstandard); English regional 1800s ont, 1800s 'on't, 1800s 'ont, 1800s 'oolna, 1800s oona, 1800s oont, 1800s 'unt, 1800s waint, 1800s wayn't, 1800s weant, 1800s we'ant, 1800s weeant, 1800s weent, 1800s wert, 1800s willn't, 1800s willot, 1800s wiln't, 1800s winnat, 1800s winnaw, 1800s winner, 1800s winno, 1800s winnot, 1800s winnow, 1800s winot, 1800s wirnd, 1800s wonna, 1800s wonner, 1800s wonnet, 1800s wonnot, 1800s wonot, 1800s woo, 1800s woona, 1800s woonot, 1800s wo't, 1800s wullent, 1800s wunna, 1800s wunnet, 1800s wunno, 1800s wunnot, 1800s wurt, 1800s wut, 1800s–1900s winna, 1800s–1900s winnet, 1800s–1900s winnut, 1800s–1900s wunt, 1800s–1900s wun't, 1800s– woan't, 1900s waent, 1900s wuten; also Scottish 1700s wonit, 1700s– winna, 1800s wanna, 1800s wonna, 1800s wunnan, 1800s– wullna, 1800s– wunna, 1900s– willna, 1900s– willnae, 1900s– willny, 1900s– wilna, 1900s– winny. For forms with proclitic negative particle, see nill v. (Forms 1).1653 A. Brome in R. Brome Five New Playes To Stationer sig. A2v Who won't submit, Must be esteem'd a Schismatick in wit.1666 G. Alsop Char. Province Maryland 15 In relieving at a distance the proud poverty of those that wont be seen they want.1708 in W. Mure Select. Family Papers Caldwell (1854) I. 213 Nanse has a good steady heart that wont soon break.1721 A. Ramsay Robert Richy & Sandy 5 Na, na, It winna do!1754 J. Shebbeare Marriage Act II. xlvii. 60 That we'n't bring thee a great Income.1805 R. Anderson Ballads in Cumberland Dial. 20 I fear His word he wunnet keep!1824 W. Scott Redgauntlet I. x. 210 He wunna budge.1849 C. Brontë Shirley II. vii. 178 That willn't wash, Miss.1928 A. E. Pease Dict. Dial. N. Riding Yorks. 108/1 He winnot be said.2000 Canberra Sunday Times 11 June 57/2 He won't bat an eyelid. (v). With negative particle and personal pronoun affixed. 1700s (1800s nonstandard) 'twont, 1700s 1800s (nonstandard)– 'twon't; English regional (south-western) 1800s twant, 1800s twunt, 1900s twan't, 1900s twent. 1764 S. Foote Mayor of Garret ii. 37 I tell thee, Matthew, 'twont do.1791 J. E. Weeks Prude iii. iv. 52 I hope twon't be as tedious as a Chancery suit.1831 H. Savery Quintus Servinton III. 59 And 'twont do to draw no distinctions like, with new chums.1882 Cent. Mag. Feb. 517/1 'Twont hurt, mother—an't it kinder ockypies her thoughts.1989 T. Tryon Night of Moonbow iv. vii. 289 Tiger's with his Maker in paradise now, and 'twon't do to mourn him overmuch. (vi). With the infinitive of be v. affixed. late Middle English welbe, late Middle English–1500s wolbe, late Middle English–1600s wilbe, late Middle English–1600s wylbe; Scottish pre-1700 wilbe, pre-1700 wilbie. a1475 in J. O. Halliwell Early Eng. Misc. (1855) 82 Sethe hem togedyre, and hyt wolbe fyne.c1475 (?c1451) Bk. Noblesse (Royal) (1860) 30 A noble..cheveteyn, whiche wolbe a leder of a felowship in werre.1484 in J. Raine Vol. Eng. Misc. N. Counties Eng. (1890) 43 He welbe at all tymes redy to prove & make good eythre upon a book or els with his handes.a1500 (a1450) Generides (Trin. Cambr.) l. 6516 And so to leve in rest and it wilbe.1535 in T. Wright Three Chapters Lett. Suppression Monasteries (1843) 31 I suppose it wolbe hard for you to purge your selfe before God or the worle.1573 in Catholic Tractates (S.T.S.) 18 It wilbie verray hard to me.1595 W. Raleigh Let. 25 Nov. (1999) 129 Ther wilbe noe tyme gyven to unite the forces of the same sheere.c1613 ( in T. Stapleton Plumpton Corr. (1839) 59 For and he doe, he wylbe taken.1670 H. Brayne Let. 20 Nov. in L. Cheves Shaftesbury Papers (2000) 235 It wilbe most convenient..to load timber and heather a gaine and from hence to nue York. d. Plural. (i).

α. early Old English wiellað, Old English willaþ, Old English wyllaþ, Old English–early Middle English willað, Old English–early Middle English wyllað, Old English (before a personal pronoun)–1500s wille, Old English (before a personal pronoun)–1500s wylle, early Middle English uilleth, early Middle English wilenn ( Ormulum), early Middle English willed, early Middle English willeð, early Middle English wyllæð, Middle English vill, Middle English whyl, Middle English whyll, Middle English wile, Middle English wilen, Middle English wileþ, Middle English wilin, Middle English willan, Middle English willen, Middle English willet, Middle English willeth, Middle English willeþ, Middle English willin, Middle English willun, Middle English willyn, Middle English wiln, Middle English wilne, Middle English wilyn, Middle English win, Middle English wyl, Middle English wyle, Middle English wylen, Middle English wyleþ, Middle English wyllan, Middle English wyllen, Middle English wylleth, Middle English wylleþ, Middle English wyllyn, Middle English wyllyth, Middle English wyllyþ, Middle English wyln, Middle English wylyn, Middle English wyn, Middle English–1600s wyll, Middle English–1700s wil, Middle English– will; English regional 1800s 'ill, 1800s–1900s win (northern); Scottish pre-1700 uil, pre-1700 vil, pre-1700 vill, pre-1700 ville, pre-1700 vyll, pre-1700 wil, pre-1700 wile, pre-1700 wyl, pre-1700 wyll, pre-1700 1700s– will, 1800s– 'ill. See also forms with proclitic negative particle at nill v. (Forms 1α).eOE (Mercian) Vespasian Psalter (1965) xxxiv. 25 (27) Exultent et laetentur qui uolunt iustitiam meam : gefiað & blissiað ða willað rehtwinisse mine.OE Ælfric Gram. (St. John's Oxf.) 199 Uolumus, we wyllað.a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 13 Þenne wille ȝe hit bireusian.c1275 Kentish Serm. in J. Hall Select. Early Middle Eng. (1920) I. 220 Yef we uilleth don his seruise.a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 191 Leunes and beres him wile to-dragen.a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 2304 If ge wilen gu wið treweiðe leden.a1475 Bp. Grossetest's Househ. Stat. (Sloane 1986) in Babees Bk. (2002) i. 331 They wyllen to do that ye wylle to do.c1475 (a1400) Awntyrs Arthure (Taylor) in J. Robson Three Early Eng. Metrical Romances (1842) 10 Sethyn charite is chefe to those that wyn be chast.1562 N. Winȝet Certain Tractates (1888) I. 7 Quhat wyll ye geve me?1651 Perfect Diurnall No. 87. 1218 They wil endeavour to play that game.1722 T. Yarborough Let. 12 Dec. in Early Hist. Don Navigation (1965) 92 You wil find your committee here chearful in their endeavers.1827 J. Barrington Personal Sketches Own Times I. 29 How many rogues 'ill there be at Reuben..to-night?1939 J. Joyce Finnegans Wake iii. 446 'Tis post purification we will.2019 Daily Nation (Kenya) (Nexis) 8 Jan. We will have no otherwise but to select new players.

β. Old English uallon (Northumbrian), Old English wallas (Northumbrian), Old English wallað (Northumbrian), Old English walli (Northumbrian, before a personal pronoun (ge)), Old English wallon (Northumbrian, before a personal pronoun), Middle English wal. See also forms with proclitic negative particle at nill v. (Forms 1γ).OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: Matt. xx. 32 Quid uultis : huæt wallað gie?1436 in Hist. MSS Comm.: Rep. MSS Var. Coll. (1907) IV. 199 in Parl. Papers 1906 (Cd. 3218) LXIV. 1 Praynge yow..that ye wal tenderly consider..the thynges afore rehersed.1452 in Hist. MSS Comm.: Rep. MSS Var. Coll. (1907) IV. 201 in Parl. Papers (Cd. 3218) LXIV. 1 Suche men as wal have ther service accordyng to the statutes thereof made.

γ. early Middle English wlled, early Middle English wllet, early Middle English wlleð, early Middle English wuleð, early Middle English wullæþ, early Middle English wullæð, early Middle English wullaþ, early Middle English wulled, early Middle English wulleȝ, early Middle English wulleð, Middle English uul, Middle English wlle, Middle English wllen, Middle English wlleþ, Middle English wllit, Middle English wule, Middle English wulen, Middle English wulle, Middle English wullen, Middle English wullet, Middle English wulleth, Middle English wulleþ, Middle English wullez, Middle English wulliþ, Middle English wullun, Middle English wullyt, Middle English wuln, Middle English wun, Middle English–1500s wul, Middle English–1600s wull; English regional 1800s 'ull, 1800s wun (chiefly west midlands); Scottish 1700s– wull, 1900s– 'ull; N.E.D. (1926) also records a form early Middle English wuleþ. See also forms with the proclitic negative particle at nill v. (Forms 1γ).c1175 ( Ælfric Homily (Bodl. 343) in S. Irvine Old Eng. Homilies (1993) 20 We wullæð eow sæcgæn sum andȝit þerto.a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 41 Ȝef ȝe lusten wuleð.a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 7 Nu we wulleð seggen mare wet þis godspel itacnet.c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 1526 Men þe wllet [c1300 Otho wolleþ] luuien.1483 tr. Adam of Eynsham Reuelation xxvii They wulle haue be to me as enemyes.c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy (2002) f. 173 We wull treate of a trew.1581 A. Hall tr. Homer 10 Bks. Iliades i. 3 Although conceale they wul A crosse receivde of simple wight.1659 R. Flecknoe Mariage Oceanus & Brittania i. 7 Fill the bowles full,..Say what they wull,..There is no life but in liquor.1888 B. Lowsley Gloss. Berks. Words & Phrases at Vleck I thinks the dogs 'ull ketch un.1895 I. Maclaren Beside Bonnie Brier Bush i. iii. 38 Wull ye tak this builk for a keepsake o yir grateful scholar?2002 J. Barclay Paras over Barras vii. 120 We'll have a..great Clabber so we wull!

δ. early Middle English wolleð, Middle English ȝwollen, Middle English volen, Middle English wole, Middle English wolen, Middle English woleth, Middle English woleþ, Middle English wollen, Middle English wollet, Middle English wolleth, Middle English wolleþ, Middle English wolleþe, Middle English wollez, Middle English wollȝ, Middle English wollit, Middle English wolliþ, Middle English wollon, Middle English wollun, Middle English wolluþ, Middle English wollyn, Middle English wollyt, Middle English wollyth, Middle English wollyþ, Middle English woln, Middle English wolne, Middle English wolon, Middle English wolone, Middle English wolun, Middle English wolune, Middle English woluth, Middle English wolyn, Middle English won, Middle English wooll, Middle English–1500s wol, Middle English–1500s woll, Middle English–1500s wolle; English regional (Shropshire) 1600s wonne, 1800s oon; Scottish pre-1700 wol, pre-1700 woll, pre-1700 wolle, pre-1700 wooll; Irish English (Wexford) 1700s–1800s woul. See also forms with the proclitic negative particle at nill v. (Forms 1γ).c1250 in K. Reichl Relig. Dichtung im Eng. Hochmittelalter (1973) 307 Ant leuere werkes ha wollet don.c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 241 Þat heo moten wonien wer-swa heo wolleð [c1300 Otho iwolleþ].c1390 Pistel of Swete Susan (Vernon) l. 123 We wol wassche us. ▸ c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 171 Perauenture summen wolen in other wise seie.1534 in T. Wright Three Chapters Lett. Suppression Monasteries (1843) 46 We wol not be so bolde.1534 in I. S. Leadam Sel. Cases Requests (Selden Soc.) 43 We..desire you that..ye woll groundely examyne the said witnesses.1561 in J. Vanes Documents Illustr. Overseas Trade Bristol 16th Cent. (1979) v. 154 The merchauntes and maryners ar with theare ships released to go where they wolle.1879 G. F. Jackson Shropshire Word-bk. 207 Or else the 'illin's oon be spiled afore the wik's out.

ε. Middle English uelen, Middle English wel, Middle English wele, Middle English welen, Middle English weleþ, Middle English welin, Middle English well, Middle English welle, Middle English wellen, Middle English weln, Middle English welyn, Middle English weylen; English regional 1900s ween (Yorkshire); Scottish pre-1700 weyll. See also forms with the proclitic negative particle at nill v. (Forms 1β).a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) 2531 Alle men ðe it heren welin.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 16327 I wat and seis þai wel noght fine.?c1430 (c1383) J. Wyclif Eng. Wks. (1880) 23 Þes coueitous symonyentis welen be þe firste to lette hem.?c1450 (?a1350) Gospel of Nicodemus (Sion Coll. London) (1907) l. 100 We welle lay our lyfe to wedde.a1500 (?c1450) Merlin iii. 54 Thei..wele to conquere this londe be force.1544 in A. I. Cameron Sc. Corr. Mary of Lorraine (1927) 105 My lordis being bund on to your grace for the comonne weill weyll put rameid in his unrasonable handlyng off yowr gracis subeis.a1905 S. P. Unwin in Eng. Dial. Dict. (1905) VI. 494 Ween they?

(ii). With personal pronoun affixed (a) With proclitic pronoun 1500s you'ill. Scottish pre-1700 ȝeill, pre-1700 thaill, pre-1700 we'ill, pre-1700 yeil, pre-1700 yell. 1568 R. Sempill Ballat Margret Fleming in W. T. Ritchie Bannatyne MS (1928) II. 327 To pomp als oft as ȝe may Haill Ȝeill nevir hald hir watterfast.1582 J. Yates Castell of Courtesie sig. L2v You'ill count my lust a vice.a1612 W. Fowler Wks. (1914) I. 320 If this day yeil..come to sun your moulyie cunȝe..deuil tak that gronȝe.c1730 A. Ramsay Wyfe of Auchtermuchty iii Yeil ken what drinkers drie. (b) With enclitic pronoun. 1700s–1800s winneh (English regional (Lancashire)), 1900s– willya (nonstandard). 1757 ‘T. Bobbin’ View Lancs. Dial. (ed. 6) 45 Whot ith' Name o God winneh sey!1941 B. Schulberg What makes Sammy Run? ix. 241 Willya find out who rang for a messenger boy?1964 R. D. Abrahams Deep down in Jungle ii. v. 219 Say, bo, if you got a million bucks, willya give me half? (iii). Contracted. 1500s–1700s -'l, 1500s–1700s -le, 1500s–1700s -'le, 1500s–1700s (1800s– nonstandard) -ll, 1500s– -'ll, 1600s -l'e; English regional (Lancashire and Shropshire) 1800s -'n, 1800s -'nn. 1578 G. Whetstone Promos & Cassandra: 2nd Pt. iii. ii. sig. Iiv And for this faulte, wyll passe it ore in ieast.1591 J. Lyly Endimion i. iii. sig. Cv Next time weele haue some prettie Gentle-women with vs to walke.a1593 C. Marlowe Edward II (1594) sig. F3v We'll steel it on their crest and poll their tops.1602 J. Marston Antonios Reuenge iv. ii. sig. G3v They'l wriggle in and in.1607 T. Dekker & J. Webster West-ward Hoe v. sig. Gv Theile scrape themselues into your company.1608 W. Shakespeare King Lear xxii. 37 Sister you'l [1619 youle, 1623 you'le] goe with vs?a1641 A. Munday et al. Bk. Sir Thomas More (1911) Addition ii. 78 Yf youle stand our freind.1652 C. Cotterell tr. G. de Costes de La Calprenède Cassandra (1676) v. 543 Wee'l set our selves up again.1677 C. Davenant Circe iv. ii. 35 Let him dye, to his groans w'el dance and w'el sing.1677 C. Davenant Circe v. ix. 57 Then we'le retire.1728 T. Gifford Let. 7 May in Mariner's Mirror (1922) 8 132 If you can any way asist me, will be very kinde and expects youle write me theranent to Holland.1786 R. Burns Holy Fair v, in Poems 43 Gin ye'll go there, yon runkl'd pair.1904 S. J. Weyman Abbess of Vlaye ix You'll laugh on the other side of your faces.2002 J. Grisham Summons (2003) xiv. 134 Pancakes'll stick to your ribs. (iv). With negative particle affixed. late Middle English wynnot, 1600s wonnot, 1600s wo'not, 1600s–1700s (1800s– nonstandard) wont, 1600s– won't, 1800s 'ont (Welsh English); English regional 1800s ont, 1800s 'oolna, 1800s oont, 1800s ootn't, 1800s waint, 1800s waunt, 1800s weant, 1800s weeant, 1800s weent, 1800s weern't, 1800s wert, 1800s willn't, 1800s willot, 1800s wiln't, 1800s winnaw, 1800s winner, 1800s winno, 1800s winnot, 1800s winot, 1800s wirnd, 1800s wonna, 1800s wonnet, 1800s wonnot, 1800s wonot, 1800s woona, 1800s woonot, 1800s wo't, 1800s wullent, 1800s wunna, 1800s wunnet, 1800s wunno, 1800s wunnot, 1800s wurt, 1800s wut, 1800s–1900s waant, 1800s–1900s winna, 1800s–1900s winnet, 1800s–1900s winnut, 1800s–1900s wunt, 1800s– woan't, 1800s– wun't, 1900s waent, 1900s willun't, 1900s wuten; Scottish 1700s winnie, 1700s– winna, 1700s– winnae, 1800s– wullna, 1800s– wunna, 1900s wullen, 1900s– willna, 1900s– willnae, 1900s– willny, 1900s– wullent, 1900s– wullnae, 1900s– wunnin. For forms with proclitic negative particle, see nill v. (Forms 1).a1475 Liber Cocorum (Sloane) (1862) 45 Ȝif þay ben harde and wynnot alye.1633 Match at Mid-night iv. i. H 3 b You wonnot pull off your bootes too will you?1667 S. Pepys Diary 10 June (1974) VIII. 257 People..won't believe us.1672 J. Dryden Conquest Granada i. iv. ii. 49 Almah. But what I cannot grant, I will not hear. Almanz. You wonnot hear!1686 tr. P. O. de Vaumorière Agiatis 101 Wo' not you pardon me?1742 M. Jones Let. 15 Apr. in Misc. in Prose & Verse (1750) 214 You wont so much as hear me.1897 M. Kingsley Trav. W. Afr. 240 They don't, and I fancy won't.1999 W. Ford Accelerated Job Search iii. ix. 105 If you won't ring your own bell, no one else will either. (v). With the infinitive of be v. affixed. late Middle English welbe, late Middle English–1500s wolbe, late Middle English–1500s wylbe, 1500s–1600s wilbe; Scottish pre-1700 wilbe, pre-1700 wilbie. 1468 J. Paston in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) I. 540 I beseche yow þat ye wolbe good mastras to my lytyll man.a1470 in C. L. Kingsford Stonor Lett. & Papers (1919) I. 111 My wyf and y welbe with you uppon Ester.1525 in B. Cusack Everyday Eng. 1500–1700 (1998) 108 Ther can noo woman goo theyr..but they wilbe busy with them.1577 B. Googe tr. C. Heresbach Foure Bks. Husbandry iii. f. 149v By which they wylbe greatly weakened.1669–70 Petition in W. Lowrie & W. S. Franklin Documents Congr. U.S.: Indian Affairs (1834) II. 187 Where they wilbe furnished wth these dutch duffles. 3. Present subjunctive. a. Singular.

α. early Old English wielle, Old English–Middle English wile, Old English–Middle English wille, Old English–Middle English wylle, late Old English–Middle English wil, early Middle English wyllen (probably transmission error), Middle English whole, Middle English whyle, Middle English wyl, Middle English wyle. See also forms with proclitic negative particle at nill v. (Forms 1α).eOE (Kentish) Glosses to Proverbs of Solomon (Vesp. D.vi) in U. Kalbhen Kentische Glossen (2003) 153 Quomodo si..[ornare velis] : swil gif ðu wille.OE Ælfric Gram. (St. John's Oxf.) 200 Utinam uelim : eala gyf ic wylle gyt.lOE King Ælfred tr. St. Augustine Soliloquies (Vitell.) (1922) i. 13 Ic..nat hu lange ðu hyne wil hæalne gehealdan.a1225 (c1200) Vices & Virtues (1888) 45 Wile ðu hlesten spelleres and priestes.., ne scalt ðu næure habben god.c1275 (?c1250) Owl & Nightingale (Calig.) (1935) l. 1289 Bute þu wille bet aginne, Ne schaltu bute schame iwinne.1340 Ayenbite (1866) 113 We biddeþ oure uader of heuene þet he ous wylle uoryeue oure misdedes.c1460 Tree & 12 Frutes (McClean) (1960) 4 She myght lede þe vertuously whither þat she wille.

β. Old English uælle (Northumbrian), Old English wælla (Northumbrian), Old English wællæ (Northumbrian), Old English wælle (Northumbrian), Old English wællę (Northumbrian), Old English wele (rare), Old English wellæ (Northumbrian), Old English welle (Anglian), Old English wellę (Northumbrian), Old English węlle (Northumbrian). See also forms with proclitic negative particle at nill v. (Forms 1β).OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: Matt. x. 39 Qui perdiderit animam suam : seðe welle losige..sawel his.

γ. early Middle English wule, early Middle English wullæ, early Middle English wulle. c1175 ( Homily: Hist. Holy Rood-tree (Bodl. 343) (1894) 30 Ȝif ðu heom iðafien wulle ðæt [etc.].?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 235 Inoch is to segge swa þet þe schrift fader witerliche understonde hwat þu wule meanen.c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 13193 We hit wulleð habben, beute ȝif þu wulle icnawen beo þat Arður is king ouer þe.

δ. Middle English wol, Middle English wole, Middle English wolle. c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) 3008 To ech torment þat þou wolt us do we beþ ȝare in þis place, Bote þou wole of vs abbe here pite & grace.c1330 (?c1300) Speculum Guy (Auch.) (1898) 60 [I]..preie þe..Þat þu wole..Make me a god sarmoun.c1350 Gregorius (Cleo.) (1914) l. 150 And þou wolle do after me, To mi court ȝeo schal beo ibrouȝt.c1460 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Laud) l. 9439 Yf þou wolle my forebode hold Thow shalt be lord as I þee told.

In later use not distinguished from 1st and 3rd singular present indicative (see Forms 2a(i) and 2c(i)). Already in Old English often difficult to distinguish from the indicative in subordinate clauses. b. Plural.

α. early Old English wiellen, Old English willan, Old English willen, Old English willon, Old English wyllan, Old English wyllen, Old English wyllon, late Old English wilen. See also forms with the proclitic negative particle at nill v. (Forms 1α).eOE King Ælfred tr. Gregory Pastoral Care (Hatton) (1871) xxxvi. 253 Gif hie willen geliefan ðætte Godes rice hiera sie.lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough interpolation) anno 656 Þet ure gyfe mote standen, swa swa hi willen beon delnimende on þa ece lif & swa swa hi wilen ætbeorstan þet ece wite.

β. Old English uælle (Northumbrian), Old English wælle (Northumbrian), Old English wellæ (Northumbrian), Old English welle (Northumbrian). See also forms with the proclitic negative particle at nill v. (Forms 1β).OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: Matt. vii. 12 Quaecunque uultis : sua huæt gie welle.

In later use not distinguished from the indicative (see Forms 2d(i)). 4. Imperative. a. Singular.Not distinguished formally from the present subjunctive singular already in Old English. However, compare nyl (see Forms 3α. at nill v.). b. Plural (chiefly in sense 13) Old English wællas (Northumbrian), Old English wællað (Northumbrian), Old English wælleð (Northumbrian), Old English wallað (Northumbrian), Old English willaþ, Old English willað, Middle English willeþ, 1500s wylleth. See also forms with the proclitic negative particle at nill v. (Forms 3).OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: Mark xvi. 6 Nolite expauescere : ne wællas gefrohtiga.OE Exodus 266 Ne willað eow andrædan deade feðan.c1350 Apocalypse St. John: A Version (Harl. 874) (1961) 53 Ne willeþ ȝee nouȝth greuen þe erþe.?a1425 tr. Catherine of Siena Orcherd of Syon (Harl.) (1966) 74 Willeþ not to abyde here lenger.1530 Myroure Oure Ladye (Fawkes) (1873) ii. 151 Wylleth not geue place to the fende. 5. Past indicative (and subjunctive). a. 1st and 3rd singular. (i).

α. early Old English wuolde (probably transmission error), Old English wolda (rare), Old English–1500s wolde, late Old English–early Middle English weolde, early Middle English uuolde, early Middle English weolden (south-west midlands), early Middle English wolden (south-west midlands), early Middle English wollde ( Ormulum), Middle English uold, Middle English vold, Middle English volde, Middle English wholde, Middle English whowlde, Middle English whowllde, Middle English woled, Middle English wolld, Middle English wollede, Middle English wolt, Middle English–1500s woolde, Middle English–1600s whould, Middle English–1600s wold, Middle English–1600s woulde, Middle English–1700s woold, Middle English– would, 1500s–1600s wovld, 1500s owld, 1500s whoulde; English regional 1800s 'ould, 1800s wold; Scottish pre-1700 uold, pre-1700 voild, pre-1700 vold, pre-1700 volde, pre-1700 wold, pre-1700 wolde, pre-1700 woolde, pre-1700 woulde, pre-1700 1700s– would. See also forms with proclitic negative particle at nill v. (Forms 2α).eOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Otho) (2009) I. viii. 416 Hu wunde[r]l[ic] wolde eow ðæt þincan.c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 150 Forr þatt he wollde himm frofrenn.a1450 (?1420) J. Lydgate Temple of Glas (Tanner) (1891) 1243 If þe spirit of nvfangilnes In any wise ȝoure hertis would assaile.1480 R. Cely Let. 30 June in Cely Lett. (1975) 84 The woll..vhos not so good as I wholde hyt had bene.1487 R. Cely in Cely Lett. (1975) 232 I whowlde awysse my syster and yow to com agayne into Essex.a1500 in Anglia (1910) 33 367 Chryst wolt the ffuger of here swete face were pyctored where euer I dwell.1530 T. Cromwell in R. B. Merriman Life & Lett. T. Cromwell (1902) I. 330 I woolde haue sene your grace long er this.1587 in H. Ellis Orig. Lett. Eng. Hist. (1824) 1st Ser. III. 23 Yf I had bid ought I owld have bid by yt.1598 Floure & Leafe in T. Speght Wks. G. Chaucer f. 366v/2 As it would seeme.1693 in Colonial Rec. Pennsylvania (1852) I. 390 And yt he wold promote it as much as he can.1783 Extracts Black Bk. Warwick 25 She woold see what chere my lady of Warwik made.1926 A. A. Milne Winnie-the-Pooh v. 66 He would go up very quietly to the Six Pine Trees now.2020 Austral. Financial Rev. (Nexis) 17 Apr. 30 It would ‘do everything possible’ to navigate the coronavirus crisis.

β. early Old English (Mercian, in the transcript of a lost MS) Middle English wulde, Middle English wlde, Middle English–1600s wuld. See also forms with proclitic negative particle at nill v. (Forms 2α).eOE (Mercian) Memorandum on Land at Bromsgrove & Inkberrow, Worcs. (Sawyer 1432) (transcript of lost MS) in A. J. Robertson Anglo-Saxon Charters (1956) 6 Þa wæs he eaðmodlice ondeta þæt he swæ wulde.c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 3971 Þat Cesar wulde [c1300 Otho wolde] þe ȝet wunnien þar.a1400 (c1303) R. Mannyng Handlyng Synne (Harl.) 970 Y wlde nat leue for here to werche.a1500 (a1450) Generides (Trin. Cambr.) l. 374 Of his labour wuld he neuer sese.1573 G. Harvey Let.-bk. (1884) 27 I wuld be at Walden that niht.1687 T. Brown Diary 3 Jan. (1898) 42 He..appeired upon the stage..and yr. shew furth..qt. cures he wuld perfyt.

γ. Chiefly northern and Scottish Old English (Northumbrian) ualde, Old English (Northumbrian)–early Middle English wælde, Old English (chiefly Anglian)–1500s walde, Middle English walld, Middle English wallde, Middle English–1600s wald; Scottish pre-1700 ualde, pre-1700 vaild, pre-1700 vald, pre-1700 valde, pre-1700 waild, pre-1700 walde, pre-1700 wauld, pre-1700 1700s–1800s wald; N.E.D. (1926) also records a form early Middle English ualde. See also forms with proclitic negative particle at nill v. (Forms 2α).eOE (Mercian) Vespasian Psalter (1965) xxxix. 9 Uolui : ic walde.eOE King Ælfred tr. Gregory Pastoral Care (Hatton) (1871) lviii. 443 He walde..ðæt hi wæren gedrefde.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 111 In hir wirschip wald i bigyn A lastand warc apon to myn.a1425 (c1333–52) L. Minot Poems (1914) 12 Þat king Edward in feld walld dwell.a1450 York Plays (1885) 120 What it was fayne witte walde I.1481 J. Weston Let. 27 Oct. in Cely Lett. (1975) 116 The Popes Hollynes..wallde a sente me home agayn.1487 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (St. John's Cambr.) v. 126 To se quha frend or fa vald be.1581 J. Hamilton Catholik Traictise Epist. f. 5v All yame, quha vald not be reformit.1674 G. Fox in Jrnl. Friends' Hist. Soc. (1914) July 100 Be cas I wald not be a capting aganst the king.c1730 A. Ramsay Wyfe of Auchtermuchty i But schort the storm wald let him stay.1825 J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. Suppl. Wald, would..2. Should, or ought to be.

δ. Middle English wode, 1500s–1700s (1800s nonstandard) wou'd, 1600s wo'd, 1600s woo'd, 1600s wu'd, 1600s (1700s nonstandard) wod, 1600s (1700s nonstandard) wud, 1600s–1700s (1800s nonstandard) wood; English regional 1800s id, 1800s ood, 1800s 'ood, 1800s ud, 1800s wed, 1800s weed, 1800s wehd, 1800s wod, 1800s woud, 1800s– 'ud, 1800s– wid, 1800s– wud; Scottish pre-1700 vid, pre-1700 wod, pre-1700 wood, pre-1700 woute, pre-1700 1700s–1800s wou'd, pre-1700 1800s– wud, 1800s– wid, 1900s– 'ud; Irish English 1800s wode (Wexford), 1800s woode (Wexford), 1800s– wid (northern), 1800s– wud (northern); N.E.D. (1926) also records a form late Middle English wude. ▸ c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) 951 He ne wode with him pleye.1587 J. Higgins Mirour for Magistrates (new ed.) Cordila xxv I had the Britaynes at what becke I wou'd.1602 T. Dekker Satiro-mastix sig. E3 I wod alwaies haue thee sawce a foole thus.1606 G. Chapman Sir Gyles Goosecappe iii. sig. E I wood haue put the third hah to it.1620 I. C. Two Merry Milke-maids ii. ii. sig. F2v Wud I were i' the Countrey againe.a1629 T. Goffe Careles Shepherdess (1656) iii. i. 36 You had better have been hang'd at first, as I wo'd had you.1631 J. Shirley Schoole of Complement v. i. 68 Woo'd I were well rid of you.1650 R. Heath Clarastella 19 What mortal wu'd Believe?1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Æneis xi, in tr. Virgil Wks. 543 Wou'd I your Justice or your Force express.1790 A. Wheeler Westmorland Dial. 5 I wod fain hev hed him tae hed a Docter.1828 W. Carr Dial. Craven (ed. 2) Wod, Wold, would.1836 C. Dickens Sketches by Boz 2nd Ser. 166 They all agreed that it ‘'ud serve 'em quite right..’.1943 S. H. Bell Summer Loanen in Erin's Orange Lily & Summer Loanen (1996) 185 It wud keep ye goin' till things brisked up.2001 J. Paisley Not for Glory 80 Aye. I wid.

ε. Chiefly northern, north-east midlands, and East Anglian Middle English vild, Middle English wijld, Middle English wyld, Middle English–1500s wilde, Middle English–1500s wylde, Middle English–1600s wild. See also forms with proclitic negative particle at nill v. (Forms 2β).a1400 (c1303) R. Mannyng Handlyng Synne (Harl.) l. 6933 And he myȝt helpe, ȝyf he wylde.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 21773 Sco delt it wiseli als sco wild.1454 W. Paston in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) I. 154 I wylde ȝe schull do wyll.1517 J. Skayman Skayman's Bk. 27 Nov. in Farming & Gardening in Late Medieval Norfolk (1997) 134 He wild com downe in to the droftes.1610 P. Holland tr. W. Camden Brit. i. 270 Constantine..they forced wild he, nild he, to usurpe the Empire.

ζ. Middle English weld, Middle English welde. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 8446 His fader biding wel he heild, And did al þat his moder weld.

η. 1500s wad, 1500s waude, 1500s wawd; English regional (northern) 1600s 1800s– wad; Scottish pre-1700 vad, pre-1700 wadd, pre-1700 wade, pre-1700 waud, pre-1700 wayd, pre-1700 1700s– wad; Irish English (northern) 1800s wad. 1581 N. Woodes Conflict of Conscience (Roxb.) 32 It wawd theam all deceue.1589 ‘M. Marprelate’ Epitome (1843) 48 I wad counsell them, if they wad be ruled bai me.1684 Yorkesh. Dial. 216 in Specim. Eng. Dial. 159 I wad this grisely Cat was hang'd, for me.a1693 M. Bruce Good News in Evil Times (1708) 38 If I had these three purse-pennies, I wad think nothing to go thorow all the world with them.1720 A. Ramsay Edinb.'s Salut. to Ld. Carnarvon ii My auld grey-head I yet wad rear.1816 W. Scott Old Mortality ix, in Tales of my Landlord 1st Ser. IV. 173 I wad kill him a chicken in an instant.1825 J. T. Brockett Gloss. North Country Words (at cited word) Wad, He wad, at wad he.1969 S. Dobson Larn Yersel Geordie 7 What he wad de with thor plastic geetars.2017 D. McClure in Lallans 91 69 Hou wrang I wad be tae renay.

(ii). With personal pronoun affixed. (a) With enclitic (subjective or objective) pronoun. Middle English waldi, Middle English woldi, Middle English woldy, Middle English wuldet. a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 969 And sarrai wuldet nogt ðolen, Ðat agar wore ðus to-bolen.a1400 in F. J. Furnivall Polit., Relig., & Love Poems (1903) 253 Ne woldy ȝeue a pese iwis. (b) With proclitic (subjective) pronoun. Middle English icholde, Middle English ichulde, Middle English ycholde, 1500s–1600s (southern) (1800s Irish English (Wexford)) chood, 1500s– twould (now nonstandard), 1600s 'twold, 1600s– 'twould (now nonstandard). a1350 (c1307) in R. H. Robbins Hist. Poems 14th & 15th Cent. (1959) 22 Myself ycholde ȝef þat y myhte.a1350 in R. H. Robbins Secular Lyrics 14th & 15th Cent. (1952) 7 Ȝet icholde a-wreke boe for lemman myn.a1450 St. Edith (Faust.) (1883) l. 1223 Wt as gode wylle y cholde hym seruy.1589 Mar-Martine sig. A4v O that the steale-counters were knoune, chood catch them by the pate.1592 Arden of Feversham ii. ii Should you deceiue vs, twould go wrong with you.1623 W. Shakespeare & J. Fletcher Henry VIII v. iii. 138 I told ye all, When we first put this dangerous stone a rowling, 'Twold fall vpon our selues.1662 W. Hemings Jewes Trag. iii. 43 Or chood be zorry.1738 J. Swift Treat. Polite Conversat. 24 If it had been a Bear, 'twould have bit you.1873 Bruce (N.Z.) Herald 21 Feb. 7/6 I often think 'twould suit me well To knock off cockatooing, And go to town.2001 M. Hickey Irish Days (2004) 27/1 'Twould cost a fortune to bring the whole family to the match. (iii). Contracted (as enclitic form). 1500s–1600s -de, 1500s– -'d, 1600s (1800s– nonstandard) -'ld, 1700s -ld. a1593 C. Marlowe Jew of Malta (1633) iv. sig. G2 I'de cut thy throat if I did.1600 B. Jonson Every Man out of his Humor v. iii. sig. Q Nay Gods life, hee'ld be content.a1616 W. Shakespeare Two Gentlemen of Verona (1623) iv. iii. 3 Ther's some great matter she'ld employ me in.a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) i. ii. 199 Sometime I'ld diuide And burne in many places.1737 Gentleman's Mag. Jan. 50/1 He swore fra thence he'd ne'er remove.1765 in T. Percy Reliques II. 141 Nay, death Ild rather chuse!1862 C. S. Calverley Verses & Transl. 22 Albert..Whom almost any lady'd Have given her eyes to get.1883 Harper's Mag. Aug. 457/2 Anybody 'd say you were a Bull of Bashan.1923 H. Hughes Hell-Bent for Heaven in K. C. Cordell & W. H. Cordell Pulitzer Prize Plays 1918–34 (1935) 261/2 It 'ld give you sompen to do an' wouldn't skeer the crows none!1992 Times 20 June (Sat. Review) 11 If I could blag him to be a vet, it'ld be really good, wouldn't it?2020 C. Atkins Bit of Stretch viii. 199 If I'd carried on, I wouldn't have seen thirty. (iv). With negative particle affixed. 1600s– wouldn't, 1800s– wouldn' (regional and nonstandard), 1800s– wouldnt (nonstandard); English regional 1800s eud'n, 1800s oodna, 1800s oudsun, 1800s waddent, 1800s wadna, 1800s widden, 1800s widdent, 1800s widdn't, 1800s widn't, 1800s wodant, 1800s wodn't, 1800s wouldna, 1800s wudden, 1800s–1900s wadent, 1800s–1900s wadn't, 1800s–1900s woddant, 1900s– woul'n't; Scottish 1700s– wadna, 1800s widnin, 1800s wudan, 1800s wudnin, 1800s– wadnae, 1800s– widna, 1800s– wouldna, 1800s– wouldnae, 1800s– wudna, 1900s– whidna, 1900s– whidny, 1900s– widnae, 1900s– wouldny. For forms with proclitic negative particle, see nill v. (Forms 2).1675 T. Duffett Mock-tempest iv. ii. 35 I wouldn't be affraid.1771 T. Smollett Humphry Clinker I. 149 The 'squire wouldn't hare of a pursecution.1786 R. Burns Poems & Songs (1968) I. 155 Jean slips in twa, wi' tentie e'e; Wha 'twas, she wadna tell.1863 Tyneside Songs 92 An he waddent let yen doon belaw tyest a bit.1871 W. Alexander Johnny Gibb iii. 23 I wudna advise you to dee that.1879 G. F. Jackson Shropshire Word-bk. at Sick I oodna let 'im.1967 S. Marshall Fenland Chron. (1998) i. i. 6 If the Lotting Fen were all in one farm, it woul'n't be a very big one.2019 D. Thomas Fashionopolis Acknowl. 261 This book wouldn't exist without a slew of strong, smart women. (v). With negative particle and personal pronoun affixed. 1800s– 'twouldn't (nonstandard); English regional (south-western) 1800s 't'ood'n, 1800s twidd'n, 1800s twudden. 1858 ‘N. Hogg’ Poet. Lett. (ed. 3) 77 Twidd'n doo.1885 E. C. Sharland Ways & Means in Devonshire Village 54 Jelly so stiff that if you were to throw it over the house 'twouldn't fall abroad.1914 G. Fitzmaurice Moonlighter in Five Plays 67 'Twouldn't do that Eugene is turning national himself.1944 F. O'Connor Miser in Crab Apple Jelly 99 'Twouldn't break you and 'twould mean a lot to that poor wretch. b. 2nd singular. (i).

α. Old English ualdes (Northumbrian), Old English ualdest (Northumbrian), Old English waldes (Anglian), Old English woldost (perhaps transmission error), Old English (Northumbrian)–Middle English waldest, Old English–Middle English woldes, Old English–Middle English woldest, Old English (rare)–Middle English woldyst, late Old English weoldest, early Middle English wældest, early Middle English wolldesst ( Ormulum), Middle English wildist, Middle English wldest, Middle English wolddeste, Middle English woldeȝ, Middle English woldeste, Middle English woldis, Middle English woldist, Middle English woldiste, Middle English woldust, Middle English woldyste, Middle English wolst, Middle English wost, Middle English wst, Middle English wuldes, Middle English wuldest, Middle English wuldist, Middle English wyldes, Middle English wyldeste, Middle English–1500s woldys, 1500s wouldeste, 1500s wouldste, 1500s–1600s woldst, 1500s–1600s (1700s– archaic) wouldest, 1500s–1600s (1700s– archaic) wouldst, 1500s–1600s (1700s– archaic) would'st, 1600s wovldest, 1600s wovldst, 1600s wudst; English regional 1700s wudst, 1800s oodst, 1800s ootst, 1800s wiss, 1800s wits, 1800s woodst; Scottish pre-1700 waldes, pre-1700 waldst, pre-1700 waldyst, pre-1700 woldst, 1700s waldest, 1700s–1800s wadst; N.E.D. (1926) also records a form early Middle English ualdes. See also forms with proclitic negative particle at nill v. (Forms 2α).eOE (Mercian) Vespasian Psalter (1965) xl. 11 (12) Quoniam uoluisti me : ðætte ðu waldes mec.OE Blickling Homilies 85 Þu woldest symle þone besmitan þe þu nan wiht yfles on nystest.a1225 ( Ælfric's Homily In Die Sancto Pentecosten (Lamb. 487) in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 93 Hwi woldest þu swikian on þine aȝene þinge.c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 9389 Þat þu wældest [c1300 Otho woldest].a1300 (c1275) Physiologus (1991) l. 337 Ðat tu wuldes seien ȝet Ȝef ðu it soȝe wan it flet, Ðat it were a neilond.c1300 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Otho) (1963) l. 8002 Þanne þou wost axi of þine mochele care.a1400 (c1303) R. Mannyng Handlyng Synne (Harl.) l. 6606 Ȝyf þou to drunkenes wldest hym wynne.?1473 W. Caxton tr. R. Le Fèvre Recuyell Hist. Troye (1894) I. lf. 6 What woldest thou that I shold do?1509 A. Barclay Brant's Shyp of Folys (Pynson) f. lxviii Than wouldest thou gladly (If thou myght) do well.1518 in I. S. Leadam Select Cases Star Chamber (1911) II. 134 Thow woldys nott delyuer one of my bullockes.1594 W. Shakespeare Titus Andronicus iii. i. 208 What wouldst thou kneele with mee?1620 I. C. Two Merry Milke-maids iii. i. sig. I1 What wudst thou doe?1749 T. Smollett Regicide ii. vii. 25 Sooner would'st thou beard The Lion in his Rage.1810 G. Crabbe Borough ii. 19 And wouldst thou, Artist! with thy Tints and Brush, Form Shades like these?1839 E. W. Lane tr. Thousand & One Nights I. 97 Thou wouldest nothing but my destruction.1932 Times Lit. Suppl. 21 Jan. 37/3 In one of these [Catalan] poems he writes:..‘I know not what thou wouldst say to me.’

β. (chiefly subjunctive in Middle English) Old English (Mercian, subjunctive)–Middle English walde, Old English (subjunctive)–Middle English wolde, early Middle English wld (subjunctive), Middle English wild, Middle English wold, Middle English wyld, Middle English–1500s wald, 1600s would; English regional 1800s ood, 1800s oot, 1800s wad (northern), 1800s wod, 1800s wut; Scottish pre-1700 vald, pre-1700 vold, pre-1700 wald, pre-1700 wold, 1700s wad. eOE (Mercian) Vespasian Psalter (1965) l. 17 (18) Si uoluisses sacrificium : gif ðu walde onsegdnisse.eOE Bald's Leechbk. (Royal) (1865) i. xxxv. 84 Gif þu wolde þæt sio sealf swiðre sie.a1275 (?c1200) Prov. Alfred (Trin. Cambr.) (1955) 133 Wis [read ȝif] þu wld don after mi red.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 901 Þou þu wild euer haue hat stede, In cald sal euer be þi bede.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 6233 Qui wald þou ledd vs o þat land?c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) l. 690 Þat I couet to ken, if þou me kythe wald.c1475 (a1400) Awntyrs Arthure (Taylor) in J. Robson Three Early Eng. Metrical Romances (1842) 24 The wurschip of Wales to weld and thou wold.1568 A. Scott Poems (1896) 2 Wald thow be servit, and thy cuntre sure.1602 J. Colville Parænese 163 Vold thou then knou the incertenty of thy speculatyue knouleg.1670 J. Stubbs in Jrnl. Friends' Hist. Soc. (1914) Oct. 154 If thou would Order me soe to doe.1791 R. Burns Tam o' Shanter 31 She prophesy'd that..Thou would be found deep drown'd in Doon.1869 R. D. Blackmore Lorna Doone I. xxii. 253 If thou would keep thy son.

(ii). With personal pronoun affixed. early Middle English woldeststu (transmission error), Middle English waldestow, Middle English waldestu, Middle English wildystow, Middle English woldestou, Middle English woldestow, Middle English woldestowe, Middle English woldistou, Middle English woldustow, Middle English woltestow, Middle English wostou, Middle English wostow, Middle English woudestou; English regional 1800s wodto (Yorkshire). c1225 (?c1200) St. Juliana (Royal) l. 160 Lutel waldestu leoten of ower lahelese lahen.c1300 Life & Martyrdom Thomas Becket (Harl. 2277) (1845) l. 35 Woldestou..Tholie deth for thi Louerdes love?c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) l. 1339 Wat wostou more of him bote þat he truage þe bere.c1390 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Vernon) (1867) A. iii. l. 50 Woldustow Glase þe Gable and graue þerinne þi nome.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Trin. Cambr.) l. 17622 Woldestou þe seme To com wiþ vs to speke & mele.a1475 (?a1430) J. Lydgate tr. G. Deguileville Pilgrimage Life Man (Vitell.) l. 21931 What woldestow ha sayd to me, Yiff I hadde wrappyd the, Nakyd.1828 W. Carr Dial. Craven (ed. 2) Wodto, wouldest thou. (iii). Contracted. 1600s -dst, 1600s -d'st, 1600s–1700s (1800s– archaic) -'dst. a1616 W. Shakespeare Timon of Athens (1623) i. i. 209 And thou should'st, thoud'st anger Ladies.a1616 W. Shakespeare Taming of Shrew (1623) i. ii. 60 Thou'dst thanke me but a little.1688 To Scribbler Bavius 4 Before thoudst had the Fate to Encounter me.1741 S. Richardson Pamela III. xxxiv. 339 Thou'dst been repining still, had not Mr. Murray been turn'd over to thee.1851 H. W. Longfellow Golden Legend Nativity 154 Dost thou forget? Cock's soul! thou'dst rather play!1959 L. Lockert tr. Heraclius i, in Moot Plays Corneille 71 Thou'dst have this marriage Thou darest prescribe for me to bring to thy house The right to rule the Empire. (iv). With negative particle affixed. English regional 1800s oosnt, 1800s witsn, 1800s woodsn't, 1800s wost-en, 1800s wouldstna, 1800s woundst'na'. For forms with the proclitic negative particle, see nill v. (Forms 2).1859 ‘G. Eliot’ Adam Bede I. i. iv. 70 Thee wouldstna go away an' break thy mother's heart.1881 H. Smith & C. R. Smith Isle of Wight Words 43 Woodsn't, will not; or, will you not?1899 F. W. Bourne Billy Bray 110 I know thee wost-en like that. (v). With negative particle and personal pronoun affixed. Middle English noldestou, Middle English noldestow. a1325 (c1280) Southern Passion (Pepys 2344) (1927) l. 1401 Allas, Iudas, whi noldestou bydde merci?c1330 (?a1300) Arthour & Merlin (Auch.) (1973) 897 Whi noldestow vnderstonde Hou þi kin is brouȝt to schond?c1450 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (Harl. 2280) (1882) iii. l. 1264 Noldestow of bounte hem socouron Þat seruen best. c. Plural. (i).

α. early Old English uuoldon, Old English woldun, Old English–early Middle English woldan, Old English–Middle English woldon, late Old English weoldon, late Old English–early Middle English weolden, early Middle English wolldenn ( Ormulum), early Middle English wuolden (south-west midlands), Middle English wholde, Middle English woldin, Middle English wolen (perhaps transmission error), Middle English (1500s archaic) wolden, Middle English–1500s woolde, Middle English–1600s wold, Middle English–1600s wolde, Middle English–1600s woold, Middle English–1600s woulde, Middle English– would, late Middle English world (perhaps transmission error), 1500s–1600s wovld; English regional 1800s would'n; Scottish pre-1700 vold, pre-1700 wold, pre-1700 wolde, pre-1700 1700s– would. See also forms with proclitic negative particle at nill v. (Forms 2α).OE Blickling Homilies 79 Þæt land gesetton swa hie sylfe woldon.c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 2022 Þat heo wuolden [c1300 Otho wolde] al þis lond dælen heom bi-twenen. ▸ a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) vii. l. 4640 Be so that thei him helpe wolde. ▸ 1395 12 Concl. Lollards (Trin. Hall Cambr.) in Eng. Hist. Rev. (1907) 22 303 We would þei were weddid.a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 13701 Þair lau wold men suld hir stane.a1533 Ld. Berners tr. A. de Guevara Golden Bk. M. Aurelius (1539) Hh viij What is that realme that sleeth theim that wold their wealth, and are angry with them that woulde helpe their yll.1557 Earl of Surrey et al. Songes & Sonettes sig. X.iiii Whom if the perfect vertues wolden daine.1677 Countess of Warwick Let. 20 Dec. in R. Boyle Corr. (2001) IV. 481 The good newes that you wolde be heare this Crismas.1881 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. July 108 We would be plunging down the water like otter-hounds.2019 Sc. Sun (Nexis) 3 Mar. 10 Would they bother?

β. Old English ualdon (Northumbrian), Old English waldon (chiefly Anglian), Old English waldun (Northumbrian), Old English walldon (Northumbrian, perhaps transmission error), early Middle English alde (transmission error), Middle English wal (northern), Middle English wald, Middle English walde, Middle English walden, Middle English waldin, Middle English walld; Scottish pre-1700 ualde, pre-1700 vald, pre-1700 waild, pre-1700 walde, pre-1700 wall, pre-1700 wauld, pre-1700 1700s–1800s wald, 1700s warld. See also forms with proclitic negative particle at nill v. (Forms 2α).OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: John vii. 44 Quidam..uolebant apprehendere eum : sumo..ualdon uel uilnadon gegrioppa hine.OE (Northumbrian) Lindisf. Gospels: Mark xv. 10 Quod per inuidiam tradidissent eum summi sacerdotes : þætte þæt ðerh æfist gesaldon uel sealla waldon hine hehsacerdas.a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 7 Walden heo naldden heo.c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 710 Wheþer heo walden [c1300 Otho wolden] hælden grið.c1440 (?a1400) Morte Arthure l. 339 And we wyste ȝour wyll, we walde wirke þeraftyre.1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) xii. l. 1400 Quhill thai till him had done all at thai wauld.1724 A. Ramsay Vision in Ever Green I. ix The hardy wald, with hairty wills, Upon dyre vengeance fall.1815 W. Scott Guy Mannering II. 51 We wald not turn back, no for half a dozen o' yon scaff raff.

γ. Middle English wulde, Middle English wulden, 1500s wuld. See also forms with proclitic negative particle at nill v. (Forms 2α).a1300 (c1275) Physiologus (1991) l. 63 Wulde ȝe nu listlen [read listen].a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 1071 Oc he ne wulden his dogtres nogt.1595 Countess of Pembroke tr. R. Garnier Trag. Antonie ii. sig. C5v Which gods them selues right hart sick wuld haue made.1653 in A. Laing Lindores Abbey (1876) 212 That they wuld..desyne some pairt in the church for him.1939 B. White Interview in C. L. Perdue et al. Weevils in Wheat (1976) 305 We wuld have to go to de overseer's huse ever' nite.

δ. Middle English wod, Middle English wode, 1600s wo'd, 1600s (1900s– regional and nonstandard) wud, 1600s–1700s (1800s regional and nonstandard) wou'd, 1800s– 'ud (regional and nonstandard); English regional 1600s wouden, 1700s wod, 1800s ooden, 1900s wo'd; Scottish 1800s– wid, 1800s– wud. ▸ c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) 2310 Þat euere wode [emended in ed. to wolde] his bodi dere.c1469 in C. L. Kingsford Stonor Lett. & Papers (1919) I. 104 I woll hertely pray ȝow..that ȝe wod do make astate wnto me.1620 I. C. Two Merry Milke-maids iv. i. sig. K3v I'd rather you wud let it alone.1661 R. Flecknoe Erminia iii. iii. 49 I wod not force what I might obtain by gentleness. Er. You wod not? you cannot Sir.1665 R. Howard & J. Dryden Indian-queen iii, in R. Howard Four New Plays 160 If you wou'd have this Sentence staid.1688 T. Shadwell Squire of Alsatia i. i. 6 Yeow wouden ha leen a bed aw th' morn.1711 Ld. Shaftesbury Characteristicks II. v. 227 Wou'd you then appeal..? Most certainly I shou'd appeal, said I.1787 E. Inchbald Such Things Are i. i Why, you wou'd not inform against me sure!1790 A. Wheeler Westmorland Dial. (1802) 103 They wod net stand strick up ith heeghst hause ith parish.1902 P. von Kielmansegg tr. F. von Kielmansegge Diary Journey Eng. 78 You wou'd swear they were solid buildings of quarry stone.1971 Black World Mar. 55/1 They wud be up all nite tonite.1992 D. Glazer Last Oasis 40 I wish yous 'ud wash your socks!2009 Aberdeen Press & Jrnl. (Nexis) 8 Aug. 14 We eest tae hae a sklaik on foo we wid o met unkennin on his faimily's exodus tae Alford.

ε. Chiefly northern, north-east midlands, and East Anglian Middle English wild, Middle English wyld, Middle English–1500s wylde; Scottish pre-1700 vyld, pre-1700 wyld. a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 4121 Quen he herd þai wild him sla.1476 in C. L. Kingsford Stonor Lett. & Papers (1919) II. 14 My cosyn..askyde me when you wyld cum hydyr.1546 J. Bale Actes Eng. Votaryes: 1st Pt. f. 31v Least wanton youthe wolde brynge them togyther wylde they nylde they.1629 Orkney Witch Trial in County Folk-lore (1903) 3 77 Ye was angrie and said although he wald not giff you credit otheris wyld giff you credit.

ζ. Middle English waude, 1500s–1600s waud; English regional (northern) 1800s– wad; Scottish pre-1700 waud, pre-1700 1700s– wad. c1400 Life St. Anne (Minn.) (1928) l. 1688 Þe prestes of þe tempyll waude [printed wande] haf ben hent.1564 W. Bullein Dialogue against Feuer Pestilence (new ed.) sig. Av God..sende you comforte of all thynges that you waud haue good of.1648 D. Jenkins All is not Gould 4 They waud leeve & dey for the guds of the King and Kingdomes.1790 R. Burns in J. Johnson Scots Musical Museum III. 301 Three blyther hearts..Ye wad na found in Christendie.1871 J. Richardson Cummerland Talk 1st Ser. 47 They wad mak a bonnie o' thur scrafflen things.a1930 N. Munro Student Lodger in B. D. Osborne & R. Armstrong Erchie & Jimmy Swan (1993) i. xv. 72 Ye wad be daein' him a better turn.1985 D. Purves Weidae's Son & Streinger (SCOTS) Ye wad hae spared the baith o us aw this hatter.

(ii). With personal pronoun affixed. 1900s– wouldja, 1900s– wouldya. 1916 M. Bowlan City Types 148 Wouldya reach me the pepper'n salt.1991 C. Eddy Stairway to Hell 3 If you agreed with the liars, you wouldn't be reading the book, wouldja? (iii). Contracted. 1500s -ld, 1600s (1800s– nonstandard) -'ld, 1600s– -'d; English regional 1800s -'dd'n, 1800s -'dn. 1575 W. Stevenson Gammer Gurtons Nedle iii. ii. sig. Ciiv And yead bene here, cham sure yould murrenly [read murreuly] ha wondred.1601 B. Jonson Every Man in his Humor iii. iv. sig. G4v You'ld mad the patient'st body in the world, to heare you talke so.a1627 T. Middleton Chast Mayd in Cheape-side (1630) iv. 53 As if they'd daunce the Sword-dance on the Stage.1676 T. Hobbes tr. Homer Iliads ii. 22 To Sea they'ld go.1712 R. Steele Spectator No. 326. ⁋5 My Request to you is, that..you'd speedily afford us your Assistance.1897 ‘S. Grand’ Beth Bk. xxxix. 395 They said..they were blessed if they'd go near the old trout again.2010 New Yorker 8 Feb. 66/3 We'd rather be at home. (iv). With negative particle affixed. 1600s– wouldn't, 1800s– wouldn' (regional and nonstandard), 1800s– wouldnt (nonstandard); English regional 1800s oodna, 1800s 'oodna, 1800s oodn't, 1800s 'oodn't, 1800s udn't, 1800s waddent, 1800s wadna, 1800s widdent, 1800s widdn't, 1800s widn't, 1800s woddent, 1800s woddn't, 1800s wodn't, 1800s–1900s wadn't; Scottish 1700s– wadna, 1700s– wadnae, 1800s– widna, 1800s– wouldna, 1800s– wouldnae, 1900s– widnae, 1900s– wudna, 1900s– wudnae. For forms with proclitic negative particle, see nill v. (Forms 2).1681 Dialogue between Pope & Phanatick Revived 19 And what, would n't you have a man bestir himself bravely for the Conquest?a1745 J. Swift Ballad in Wks. (1814) X. 564 Musha! Why Parliament wouldn't you maul.1882 M. R. Banks Bright Days in Old Plantation Time ii. 30 De do' was shet, an' dey wouldn' let her in.1925 J. Dos Passos Manhattan Transfer iii. iii. 306 Jez you wouldnt have me goin round with dark glasses and false whiskers all my life.2019 E. Snowden Permanent Rec. xvii. 189 We wouldn't all be sent to jail. 6. Present participle.

α. Old English willynde, Old English wyllende, Old English–Middle English willende, Middle English wilande, Middle English willand, Middle English willenge, Middle English wilynde, Middle English wilyng, Middle English wilynge, Middle English wyllinge, Middle English wyllyngge, Middle English wylynge, Middle English–1500s willyng, Middle English–1500s willynge, Middle English–1500s wyllyng, Middle English–1500s wyllynge, Middle English–1600s willinge, Middle English–1700s willing; Scottish pre-1700 willan, pre-1700 willand, pre-1700 willande, pre-1700 willene, pre-1700 willing, pre-1700 wlland, pre-1700 wollyne, pre-1700 wolyne, pre-1700 wyland, pre-1700 wylland, pre-1700 wyllyng. OE Lambeth Psalter v. 5 Quoniam non deus uolens iniquitatem tu es : forðan þe na god willende [lOE Salisbury Psalter wyllende] unrihtwisnesse þu eart. ▸ c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Matt. xiv. 5 And he willynge to slea hym, drede the peple.1427 in C. Innes Registrum Honoris de Morton (1853) I. p. xlii God willande we sall se weyll for yhour deliuerance.1548 Hall's Vnion: Edward IV f. ccxiii Not willyng if he might, to displease any of bothe the parties.1632 W. Lithgow Totall Disc. Trav. iii. 101 The which I willing to see, I entreated my associats to accompany me thither.a1761 W. Law Comfort Weary Pilgrim (1809) 54 This is not willing Christ to be thy Saviour.

β. early Old English wellende (Mercian), Middle English weling, 1500s welleng (Scottish). eOE (Mercian) Vespasian Psalter (1965) v. 3 (5) Quoniam non uolens deus iniquitatem tu es : forðon ne wellende god unrehtwisnisse ðu earð.c1475 (?c1400) Apol. Lollard Doctr. (1842) 90 O vnpite! þei weling schew more holiness in þer clopes þan in þe body of Crist.c1560 in W. Fraser Mem. Maxwells of Pollok (1863) II. 127 God welleng, I sall kep my day.

7. Past participle. Middle English wold, Middle English wolde, 1500s–1600s would. ▸ a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1965) Psalms l. 18 If þou haddyst wold sacrifise I shulde han ȝyuen.a1450 (c1412) T. Hoccleve De Regimine Principum (Harl. 4866) (1897) l. 1075 Crist himself..To loue and teche and prechen it hath wold. ▸ a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) I. 211 Theire hedys had they lorne and I had wolde myself.1583 A. Golding tr. J. Calvin Serm. on Deuteronomie clxxxiv. 1145 Not that hee was vnable to let them, or withstande them, if hee had would.1633 J. Done tr. ‘Aristeas’ Aunc. Hist. Septuagint 216 If hee had would, hee might easily..occupied the Monarchy.
Origin: A word inherited from Germanic.
Etymology: Cognate with Old Frisian willa , wella , walla , wolla (West Frisian wolle ), Old Dutch willen , wellen , wollen (Middle Dutch willen , wellen , wijllen , Dutch willen ), Old Saxon willian , wellian (Middle Low German willen , wellen ), Old High German wellen , wellan , wollen , wolen (Middle High German wellen , willen , wollen , wöllen , wullen , German wollen ), Old Icelandic vilja , Old Swedish vilia (Swedish vilja ), Old Danish wilia , willæ (Danish ville ), Gothic wiljan < the same Indo-European base as Sanskrit vṛ- to desire, to choose, Avestan var- to choose, ancient Greek (Doric) λῆν to want, to wish, classical Latin velle to want, Old Church Slavonic velěti to order, to wish, to allow, Old Lithuanian velti to allow. Compare nill v., will v.2, and wale v.1History of the stem vowel. Old English present tense forms in wil- , will- show the reflex of the e -grade of the Germanic base, with raising to i before i or j . The details of the development of other Old English forms are more uncertain. Old English past tense wolde perhaps shows the influence of scolde , past tense of shall v., rather than continuing a zero-grade of the Germanic base. It is also uncertain whether Anglian forms such as present tense well- , wall- , past tense wald- show reflexes of the o -grade of the Germanic base, as alternative phonological and analogical explanations have been proposed for these. From Old English onwards, some forms show phonological influence of initial w- . Past tense forms of the wilde type (see Forms 5a(i)ε. and 5c(i)ε. ) probably show influence of early Scandinavian (compare Old Icelandic vilda , 1st singular past indicative of vilja ); some of the instances could alternatively be interpreted as will v.2 Inflection of present tense forms. The paradigm of the verb is anomalous in Old English, as in other Germanic languages. The anomalies are most clearly preserved in Gothic and particularly involve the present tense, because, due to the sense of the word, the Germanic verb apparently occurred only in the optative, i.e. with forms that are the antecedent of the subjunctive. Consequently, although already in Old English the present tense forms have undergone analogical changes and are strongly influenced by more regular paradigms, it is sometimes difficult to distinguish the indicative from the subjunctive. Compare especially 3rd singular present indicative wile , distinguished in the inherited stem form rather than the inflectional ending from subjunctive wille , although this distinction was already beginning to be lost in Old English. In the course of the history of English, the paradigm of the verb becomes increasingly associated with that of the preterite-present verbs (can v.1, shall v., etc.), because, like them, it functions as a modal auxiliary. The uninflected 3rd singular present indicative (already attested in Old English; compare Northumbrian wil ) comes to be perceived as a feature of the verb as modal auxiliary, although in the case of will v.1 it is due to early loss of final -e or analogy. Relationship with will v.2 It is difficult to say whether the verb developed any occasional regular inflections in Middle English, since all the instances can be interpreted as showing will v.2 (see discussion at that entry). Compare sense 3a(a), where later evidence (from the 15th cent.) is often impossible to distinguish from will v.2 2a (since most of the instances show the formally ambiguous 1st singular present indicative), and compare also discussion of the wilde forms of the past tense above. Use with future reference. Already in Old English, present tense forms of willan are often used with future reference, but chiefly in contexts where desire, purpose, or intention is implied, reflecting the meaning of the word in its use as a full verb. Use of willan with infinitive with future reference is not regular in Old English (nor is use of the comparable construction with shall v.) and use of simple finite present tense forms of all verbs with future reference is the norm in this period. The grammaticalization of the construction with will to denote the future is a gradual development within the history of English. Similar use of the cognate of will v.1 with future reference is found e.g. in Old High German and Middle High German but is less common and never becomes grammaticalized to the same degree as in later English. For the will/shall distinction prescribed by many traditional grammars of British standard English when expressing prediction of future events (first person: shall ; second and third person: will ), compare notes at senses 14 and 22 and see discussion at shall v. 8. Use as periphrastic equivalent to the subjunctive or conditional. In Old English, modal use of forms of the past stem (chiefly past subjunctive, compare singular wolde ) comparable to the later use as conditional is attested, and in some contexts, especially subordinate clauses, use of such forms with infinitive already functions as the equivalent of an inflectional subjunctive, but the construction is not regular or grammaticalized as it is in later periods. Modal use of would in later English apparently chiefly continues uses of past subjunctive wolde , after the merger of indicative and subjunctive forms (but in Old English indicative forms are also sometimes used in this way; compare occasional modal uses of 2nd singular woldest , plural woldon ). Specific senses. In sense 13 chiefly in translations from Latin, after classical Latin nōlī, nōlīte, 2nd person imperative (singular and plural) of nōlle to be unwilling (see nolle prosequi n.), used as auxiliaries.
I. As a full verb.
†* The present tense will and past tense would with temporal function.
1.
a. Expressing desire: to wish for, have a mind to, want (something); to desire (a person, gold, etc.). Sometimes also with the implication of intention or purpose. In later use frequently with what alone or as head of a clause.
(a) transitive. In present tense. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > [verb (transitive)]
willOE
awill1399
the mind > will > wish or inclination > willingness > be willing to [verb (transitive)]
willOE
the mind > will > wish or inclination > desire > [verb]
willOE
wanta1851
wanna1893
the mind > will > wish or inclination > desire > wishing > wish [verb (transitive)] > wish for
wishc897
willOE
willOE
OE West Saxon Gospels: Luke (Corpus Cambr.) v. 39 Ne drincð nan man eald win & wylle sona þæt niwe.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 1783 Wenne þu wult [c1300 Otho wolt] more suluer sæche hit at me suluen.
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Isa. xiii. 17 That siluer sechen not, ne gold wiln.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 20657 It sal be al als tu it wille.
a1450 (?a1390) J. Mirk Instr. Parish Priests (Claud.) (1974) l. 962 (MED) Þou dost syngen ylle, Þy neghbores wyf for to wylle.
c1500 (?a1437) Kingis Quair (1939) cvi (MED) This will my son Cupide, and so will I.
1539 R. Taverner tr. Erasmus Prouerbes sig. F.viiiv Whan that thynge can not be done that thou woldest, woll that thou cannest.
1560 Bible (Geneva) Judges i. 14 And Caleb said vnto her, What wilt thou?
1577 J. Grange Golden Aphroditis sig. Iiijv Who wil the curnell of the nut must breake the shell.
a1616 W. Shakespeare (1623) (title) Twelfe Night, Or what you will.
1654 R. Whitlock Ζωοτομία 44 Will what befalleth, and befall what will.
1735 tr. C. Rollin Anc. Hist. III. 65 You do not make your greatness consist in being able to do whatever you will, but in willing only what may be done.
1862 W. M. Thackeray Adventures of Philip II. vi. 133 But what will you? We all have to do disagreeable things.
(b) transitive. In past tense. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
OE Ælfric Lives of Saints (Julius) (1881) I. 432 Se ealdorman gewat þa ða hit wolde God.
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 3620 Ðis folc..Offreden him siluer and golde And oðer metal, swilc he wolde.
1629 J. Gaule Practique Theories Christs Predict. 158 God and the Iewes, both would the Passion and Death of Christ.
1692 J. Washington tr. J. Milton Def. People Eng. xii. 238 To perform, not what he himself would, but what the People..requir'd of him.
1710 J. Norris Treat. Christian Prudence vi. 232 Always disconformable to himself, doing what he would not, and not doing what he would and should.
b. intransitive. Expressing wishes or intentions towards a person: (with well or ill, and usually with dative of person) to wish or intend well or ill (to someone), to feel or cherish goodwill or ill will. Also transitive with nouns of similar meaning (e.g. good, harm, health). Obsolete.See also well-willing adj.Cf. will v.2 1b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > behaviour > good behaviour > kindness > show kindness [verb (intransitive)] > mean well or wish well
willOE
well-willa1618
the world > action or operation > behaviour > bad behaviour > unkindness > ill will, malevolence > intend ill [verb]
willa1500
ill-will1568
evil wished1577
ill-wish1865
OE Ælfric Lives of Saints (Julius) (1881) I. 354 Þæt is seo soðe lufv, þæt man his scyppend lufige.., and ða menn þe wel willað.
OE Lambeth Psalter lxix. 4 Erubescant qui uolunt mihi mala : scamian þa þe willaþ me yfelu.
c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Parson's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) §462 Ire..is the feruent blood of man yquyked in his herte thurgh which he wole harm to hym þt he hateth.
a1500 (?c1414) Paraphr. Seven Penitential Psalms 46 Myn enemyes that wole me ille.
1513 G. Douglas in tr. Virgil Æneid Direction 99 I will weill otheris can say mair curyusly. Bot I haue said eftir my fantasy.
1530 Myroure Oure Ladye (Fawkes) (1873) iii. 313 In that he ys father, he muste nedes wylle all good to hys chyldren.
a1592 R. Greene Sc. Hist. Iames IV (1598) iv. sig. G2 Frolike Huntsmen of the game, Willes you well, and giues you greeting.
1684 F. Bernard Christian Duty xxvi. 158 The charmes of his pleasing Countenance and his Comportment would allure your hearts, and force them..to will him good.
c. In negative contexts, expressing lack of desire or refusal: to have no desire for, not wish for, not want (often with the implication of refusing or declining something). Usually with negative noun phrase (with no (adjective), none, etc.) as object.
(a) transitive. In present tense. Obsolete.In Old English nill v. is often used similarly with multiple negation; cf. quot. OE at nill v. 1a.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > statement > refusal > [verb (transitive)]
warnc897
willeOE
forbidc1000
warnc1000
willOE
asake1250
withsay1297
gainsayc1330
recusea1387
naitc1390
to say naya1393
again-say?a1400
denyc1400
withnayc1400
biwern1413
refuse?1435
resist1539
detrect1542
renege1545
detract1572
waive1642
declinea1691
nay-say1762
nay-saya1774
nix1903
off1908
ixnay1937
the mind > will > wish or inclination > desire > [verb (transitive)] > have no desire for
willOE
OE Metrical Psalm Fragments (Junius 121) v. 3 Ic to soðe wat þæt ðu unriht ne wilt ænig, drihten.
c1400 (?a1387) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Huntington HM 137) (1873) C. ii. l. 8 Þei willen no betere.
a1450 (c1375) G. Chaucer Anelida & Arcite (Tanner 346) (1878) l. 244 I will non othyr medicyne ne lore.
1542 N. Udall tr. Erasmus Apophthegmes f. 128 The oxe eateth heigh, the lyon woll none of it.
1600 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 2 ii. iv. 73 Ile no swaggerers..shut the doore, there comes no swaggerers here. View more context for this quotation
1609 W. Shakespeare Troilus & Cressida v. v. 49 Hector wher's Hector I will none but Hector. View more context for this quotation
1695 H. Mollineux Antichrist Unvailed 90 All they who reject his Counsel, and will none of his Reproof.., will not open; when he calleth.
1816 W. Scott Antiquary I. xvi. 173 No, no, I'll none of Hector McIntyre.
(b) transitive. In past tense. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
?a1160 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough contin.) anno 1132 Oc Crist it ne uuolde.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 16 Wit sarazins wald þai na saght.
c1475 Antichrist & Disciples in J. H. Todd Three Treat. J. Wycklyffe (1851) p. cxxvi Crist forsoke worldly glorie... Crist wold not worldly lordschip.
1517 in B. Cusack Everyday Eng. 1500–1700 (1998) 100 The afforseyd dane wyllyam boston..profferyd theym to drynck..butt they renouncyd ther proffer Saying playnly they wold noon.
1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. viii. 3/2 He wolde nothyng to her but all loue and good faith.
1643 J. Angier Lancashires Valley of Achor 18 When we would no Pardon they laboured to punish us.
1838 E. W. Lane tr. Thousand & One Nights (1839) I. ii. 97 Thou wouldest nothing but my destruction.
2.
a. Expressing a person's wish: to desire or wish (that something be done or happen); sometimes also with the implication of intention or purpose. Followed by a that-clause (with present tense verb in unmarked form (in Old English and early Middle English, subjunctive), or with should and infinitive), or with object and infinitive.
(a) transitive. In present tense. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > wish or inclination > desire > [verb (transitive)] > something to be done
willOE
lovec1475
OE Blickling Homilies 61 Deme ge nu, swa swa ge willon þæt eow sy eft gedemed on þon ytmæstan dæge þisse worlde.
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 58 Ich wulle þet ȝe speken selden.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 5632 Wil þou i ga..To fot a womman o þat lede?
c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Parson's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) §1 Ovre swete lord..that no man wole perisse, but wole þt we comen alle to the knoweliche of hym.
a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) I. 331 I woll [1485 Caxton wil], sistir, that ye wete he is a full noble knyght.
1548 R. Hutten tr. J. Spangenberg Sum of Diuinitie sig. Kviij God wylle all men to be saued.
1561 T. Hoby tr. B. Castiglione Courtyer i. sig. G.ii Wil you (quoth he) custom should be more appriced in the vulgar tunge, then in the Latin?
1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica i. viii. 34 Thus have we made a briefe enumeration of these learned men, not willing any to decline their Workes,..but to apply themselves with caution thereunto. View more context for this quotation
a1761 W. Law Comfort Weary Pilgrim (1809) 54 This is not willing Christ to be thy Saviour.
1849 M. Arnold Strayed Reveller, & Other Poems 43 Wilt thou they straightway bring him in?
(b) transitive. In past tense. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
eOE King Ælfred tr. Gregory Pastoral Care (Hatton) (1871) Pref. 5 For ðære wilnunga hie hit forleton, & woldon ðæt her ðy mara wisdom on londe wære ðy we ma geðeoda cuðon.
?a1160 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough contin.) anno 1132 Þa uuolde he ðat his nefe sculde ben abbot in Burch.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 11212 Maria barn ber in chastite, Sin godd wald þat it sua suld be.
1490 W. Caxton tr. Foure Sonnes of Aymon (1885) xii. 301 Ye shall see that Rowlande wold he had not gon there.
1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid viii. vi. 26 He..wald also this regioun euery steid War callit Latium.
1542 N. Udall tr. Erasmus Apophthegmes f. 327 He would his richesse to bee a cloke of goodnesse.
a1616 W. Shakespeare As you like It (1623) iii. ii. 150 Heauen would that shee these gifts should haue. View more context for this quotation
1682 J. Bunyan Holy War 124 He would that Captain Credence should join himself with them. View more context for this quotation
1868 Ld. Tennyson Lucretius 68 Because I would not one of thine own doves, Not ev'n a rose, were offer'd to thee.
b. intransitive. To desire or wish that something be done or happen. Cf. senses 7 – 9. Obsolete.See also if you will at Phrases 6.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > wish or inclination > desire > wishing > wish [verb (transitive)] > wish for
wishc897
willOE
willOE
OE West Saxon Gospels: Matt. (Corpus Cambr.) xxvi. 39 Þeahhwæþere na swa swa ic wylle [L. non sicut ego uolo] ac swa swa þu wylt.
a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 15 Al hit mei us rede and to lare ȝif we wulleð.
c1390 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Vernon) (1867) A. ix. l. 44 Euer is þi soule saaf Bote ȝif þi-self wolle.
?a1425 (c1400) Mandeville's Trav. (Titus C.xvi) (1919) 52 Whan god all myghty wole right als the londes weren lost.., so schull þei ben wonnen.
1526 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfection i. sig. Bvi It neuer..leueth vs (excepte we wyll).
1595 E. Spenser Epithalamion in Amoretti & Epithalamion xiv. sig. H2v Poure not by cups, but by the belly full, Poure out to all that wull.
c. In extended use. Expressing the intention to convey meaning: to intend to express, mean; to affirm, maintain. Usually followed by a that-clause. Cf. sense 11a.
(a) transitive. In present tense. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > intelligibility > meaning > mean [verb (transitive)]
meaneOE
beholdc1175
spele?c1225
bemeana1300
amountc1300
willa1382
import1425
employ1528
intend?c1530
would say1564
understand1617
spella1661
the mind > language > statement > assertion or affirmation > [verb (transitive)]
vowc1330
anferme1340
affirma1382
willa1382
threapc1386
avow1393
to make oneself strongc1425
maintain?c1430
protest1440
traverse1491
assure1509
ferma1525
verc1540
profess1542
enforce1579
justify1579
aver1582
to take on1583
asserta1604
will1614
assevera1618
positive1656
autume1661
declare1709
obtesta1722
predicate1782
asseveratea1847
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1963) 3 Kings i. 41 What to hym wile þe cri of þe cite makynge noise?
?a1475 (?a1425) tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Harl. 2261) (1871) III. 131 (MED) Mony men wylle [a1387 J. Trevisa tr. telleþ; L. tradunt] that the doȝhter of Darius was moder to this Balthazar.
1534 Bible (Tyndale rev. Joye) James Prol. When he sayth that a man is iustified by dedes & not of fayth onlye, he will no more then that fayth dothe not so iustifie euery where, that nothinge iustifieth saue fayth.
1601 R. Dolman tr. P. de la Primaudaye French Acad. III. 47 Hee will that this authority should be for a principle of demonstration.
1602 J. Darrel Surv. Dialogical Disc. v. 38 Whereby it will that neither..hath any reall power without.
(b) transitive. In past tense. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
a1500 Bernardus de Cura (1870) l. 82 He walde þat A watter, or a well, hayd wecht it away.
1567 R. Sempill Deeclaratioun Lordis Iust Quarrell (single sheet) I vnderstuid thair sentence quhat thay wald.
c1600 Wriothesley's Chron. Eng. (1875) I. 152 Fayninge and counterfeyting a miracle that he woulde had done whilest he was at masse.
3.
a. Expressing an authoritative (or similarly formal) wish or intention: decree, ordain, give orders (that someone do something or something be done).
(a) transitive. Expressing a direction or instruction in one's will or testament: direct by means of one's will. Now superseded by will v.2 2a. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > transfer of property > testamentary disposition > bequeath by will [verb (transitive)] > direct by will
willeOE
eOE (Kentish) Will of Ealdorman Ælfred (Sawyer 1508) in N. P. Brooks & S. E. Kelly Charters of Christ Church Canterbury, Pt. 2 (2013) 810 Ic Ælfred willio & wille þæt hio sion soðfęstlice forðweard getrymed me & minum ęrfeweardum.
c1155 ( Will of Wulfwaru (Sawyer 1538) in S. E. Kelly Charters of Bath & Wells (2007) 137 Ic wylle þæt þa þe to minre are fon þæt hi fi[n]don twentig freotmanna..and æfre ælce geare ealle gemænelice ane feorme in to Baðum.
1406 in F. J. Furnivall Fifty Earliest Eng. Wills (1882) 13 (MED) Y wyll that my son be at gouernaunce, with that Gode that he has.
1431 Rolls of Parl.: Henry VI (Electronic ed.) Parl. Jan. 1431 §16. m. 8 He wolde and bequath be the said testament, þat yef any of the saide sommes were unpaid.., þat the forsaid maistre shuld paie the double.
1448 in B. Sundby Stud. Middle Eng. Dial. Material Worcs. Rec. (1963) 255 The Foreseid John woll and graunt that the seid Thomas shal perceue and take..the Foreseid annuete.
1504 in S. Tymms Wills & Inventories Bury St. Edmunds (1850) 99 I wyll that Rose Plandon shall haue x marc.
1557 in J. P. Earwaker Lancs. & Cheshire Wills (1884) 58 My bodye I wyll be buryed in the Parysshe Churche of Manchester.
1845 R. W. Gill & J. Johnson Rep. Court of Appeals Maryland 12 293 I will and direct..that she shall have and receive one hundred and fifty dollars.
1926 Williamstown (Austral.) Chron. 11 Sept. I will and direct that in such case the property herby devised.
(b) transitive. Expressing an official (esp. royal) decree: direct, require. Now superseded by will v.2 3a. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > command > command or bidding > command [verb (transitive)] > ordain, prescribe, or appoint
asetc885
teachc897
deemc900
ashapea1000
i-demeOE
setc1000
shiftc1000
stevenOE
redeOE
willOE
lookc1175
showc1175
stablea1300
devise1303
terminea1325
shapec1330
stightlea1375
determinec1384
judgea1387
sign1389
assize1393
statute1397
commanda1400
decree1399
yarka1400
writec1405
decreetc1425
rule1447
stallc1460
constitute1481
assignc1485
institute1485
prescribec1487
constitue1489
destinate1490
to lay down1493
make?a1513
call1523
plant1529
allot1532
stint1533
determ1535
appointa1538
destinec1540
prescrive1552
lot1560
fore-appoint1561
nominate1564
to set down1576
refer1590
sort1592
doom1594
fit1600
dictate1606
determinate1636
inordera1641
state1647
fix1660
direct1816
OE Laws of Cnut (Nero) ii. lxxx. 366 And ic wylle, þæt ælc man si his huntnoðes wyrðe on wuda & on felda on his agenan.
a1325 Statutes of Realm (2011) xiii. 69 Ant te king wole, þat in his oune demeine wodes..te weies ben ilargist.
a1431 in C. L. Kingsford Stonor Lett. & Papers (1919) I. 47 Y..wole and hertely prey you..that ye seale the deedes.
1528 T. Cromwell in R. B. Merriman Life & Lett. T. Cromwell (1902) I. 320 His grace then wille that thellection of a new Dean shalbe emonges them of the colledge.
1560 in A. Feuillerat Documents Office of Revels Queen Elizabeth (1908) 112 We woll and commaunde that Imediatly vppon the sight hereof ye delyuer..vnto Sir Thomas Benger [etc.].
1693 Statutes Colledge of Physicians xviii. 136 We will that that fine of twelve pence be increased to two shillings and six pence, so often as it is defaulted.
1713 tr. Acct. Abolishing Duels in France 45 If one or both of the Duellers be Killed, We Will and Command that the Criminal Process be made against the Memory of the Dead.
b. figurative. Expressing a logical, legal, or moral requirement: (of an abstract thing, e.g. law, reason) demand, necessitate. See also elliptical use at sense 3b(b).See also reason will at reason n.1 Phrases 2a.
(a) transitive. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > necessity > condition of being necessary > need or want > need [verb (transitive)] > require or demand
askOE
willa1225
requirec1425
crave1576
desire1577
exact1592
solicit1592
wish1600
postulate1605
expect1615
to look after ——a1616
seek1656
demand1748
a1225 (c1200) Vices & Virtues (1888) 105 Rihtwisnesse..wile ðat godd a-forewarde habbe his ȝerihte of alle his iscafte.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 13701 Þair lagh wald man suld hir stan.
1556 tr. J. de Flores Histoire de Aurelio & Isabelle sig. N4 The perputall feithe geuen amonge hus will [Fr. veult] that whan I shall be in my liberte that I followe thy.
1600 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 2 iv. i. 155 Our battell is more full of names than yours... Then Reason will our hearts should be as good. View more context for this quotation
(b) intransitive. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > necessity > condition of being necessary > need or want > need [verb (intransitive)] > require or demand
willc1325
c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) l. 6979 Ich mot nede be milde, As kunde of moder wole & blod aȝen my childe.
tr. Palladius De re Rustica (Duke Humfrey) (1896) i. l. 13 Plesaunce and fruyt the tilman forto bringe As seeson wol.
1511 Reg. Privy Seal Scot. I. 345/1 That na seculare personis have intrometting with thaim uther wais than law will.
1686 G. Mackenzie Observ. Acts Parl. 25 The meaning of this Act [sc. of 1429] is that if the pursuer be forc'd to find caution, to answer as law will, he may force the defender to recounter it; that is to say, to find caution also.
** The past tense would with non-temporal function, used with potential or conditional force to tone down the effect of the present-tense uses in I.* (compare sense 26).
4.
a. transitive. Equivalent to sense 2a, expressing a person's wish: desire or wish (that something be done or happen): wish for, have a mind to, want (something). Followed by a that-clause (with past tense or unmarked present tense verb (in Old and early Middle English, in subjunctive), or with should and infinitive), or (rare) †with object and infinitive (obsolete). Now only in would rather: should prefer.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > easiness > [adverb] > more easily or readily
would rathereOE
soon?c1225
the world > time > a suitable time or opportunity > [adverb] > soon or quickly > earlier or sooner
would rathereOE
ratherOE
tittera1400
sandera1450
eOE tr. Orosius Hist. (BL Add.) (1980) ii. i. 38 Ic wolde þæt þa ongeaten, þe þa tida..leahtriað, hwelc mildsung siþþan wæs.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) Ded. l. 134 I wollde bliþeliȝ. þatt all ennglisshe lede..shollde itt trowwenn.
c1200 Serm. in Eng. & Germanic Stud. (1961) 7 62 He vold þ[e]t man ded vare..and valde þet man heuene forlure.
c1390 in C. Brown Relig. Lyrics 14th Cent. (1924) 143 But in heor hertes I wolde þei hade..Hou sone þat god hem may de-grade.
1455–6 Rolls of Parl.: Henry VI (Electronic ed.) Parl. July 1455 §55. m. 2 Every wele disposed persone..by reason and naturall favour, wold rather that wymmen of their nacion born and owen blode hadde the occupacion therof, than strange people.
?1499 J. Skelton Bowge of Courte (de Worde) sig. Bv And so I wolde it were so god me spede.
a1547 J. Redford Wit & Sci. (1951) 5 My hed akth sore I wold wee returnd.
1597 J. Payne Royall Exchange 33 Wch I would you ever to remember.
1601 B. Jonson Fountaine of Selfe-love Praeludium sig. A4v I would thou hadst some Sugar Candyed, to sweeten thy Mouth. View more context for this quotation
1675 R. Burthogge Cavsa Dei 99 The Parent..who would rather than the better part of his estate..he could reclaim and turn him.
1885 Ld. Tennyson Charge Heavy Brigade Epil. in Tiresia & Other Poems 165 I would that wars should cease, I would the globe from end to end Might sow and reap in peace.
1941 M. Mitchell Let. 13 Feb. in Gone with the Wind Lett. (1986) 328 I would rather you learn of it from me..instead of receiving third-hand garbled reports.
2016 New Scientist 17 Sept. 22/4 Self-verification theory says that we would rather other people had an accurate view of who we really are than an overly positive one.
†b. transitive. Equivalent to sense 2c, expressing the intention to convey meaning: intend to express, mean; affirm, maintain (a proposition). Followed by a that-clause. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
c1390 (a1376) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Vernon) (1867) A. ii. l. 49 In middes on a Mountayne..Was piht vp a Pauilon..And..Tentes I-tilled be-sydes..For Sisours, for Sumnors, for Sullers..Alle to witnesse wel What þe writ wolde.
1559 in J. Strype Ann. Reformation (1709) I. App. xi. 34 The fantasticall opynion, that woulde every man should be saved by his own faithe.
1678 J. Bunyan Pilgrim's Progress 156 He would that you should stay here a while to acquaint with us.
c. transitive. As an expression of longing. I would to God (also Christ, Heaven): ‘I wish’, ‘O that’; hence (with ellipsis of 1st person pronoun) would to God (also Heaven) and simply in the form would. Followed by a that-clause. Now somewhat archaic or literary.The forms with ellipsis were perhaps influenced by would God at Phrases 3.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > wish or inclination > desire > wishing > wish [phrase]
Christ wouldeOE
God wouldeOE
lief I were1297
to hope (also wish, etc.) to Christa1375
to wish to Godc1385
willc1460
would to God (also Heaven)c1460
goodness1623
c1460 (?c1400) Tale of Beryn Prol. l. 490 Now wold to God she were in stokkis til I shuld hir borowe!
c1475 Brome Abraham & Isaac in N. Davis Non-Cycle Plays & Fragm. (1970) 48 Now I wold to God my moder were her on þis hyll!
1535 Bible (Coverdale) Acts xxvi. E I wolde to God, that..I mighte persuade..the..to be soch I am, these bondes excepte.
1591 Troublesome Raigne Iohn i. sig. B4v Oh would I might be mute.
a1616 W. Shakespeare King John (1623) iii. iv. 48 I am not mad, I would to heauen I were. View more context for this quotation
1624 W. Bedell Copies Certaine Lett. 26 I would to Christ that of all other Controuersies this were the vehementest betweene vs.
1777 M. Townshend in J. H. Jesse G. Selwyn & his Contemp. (1844) III. 260 This news I picked up at Bet's door. Would to God that we had peace!
1787 Generous Attachm. I. 174 Would to heaven it was in my power to unbody myself, and like a celestial being, to come to you on a sun beam!
1816 J. Wilson City of Plague ii. i At a sad hour the sailor hath return'd; Would he were yet at sea!
1831 W. Scott Count Robert viii, in Tales of my Landlord 4th Ser. II. 186 I would to God I had more.
1908 J. Payne Carol & Cadence 290 Would I might see it, I! Would Heaven I might its coming but aby.
a1971 S. Smith Coll. Poems (1975) 134 Would he might come Again and I Upon his breast Again might lie.
2004 S. Mehta Maximum City 233 Dariya Mahal is history. Would that it were rubble.
†5. transitive. Equivalent to sense 1, expressing desire: could or might desire (something); should like; desire, wish for, want (sometimes also with the implication of intention). Also intransitive with well or ill and indirect object indicating the person affected. Obsolete (archaic in later use).
ΚΠ
OE Ælfric Homily: De Doctrina Apostolica (Hatton 115) in J. C. Pope Homilies of Ælfric (1968) II. 631 Hwæt woldest þu nu æt me?
c1225 (?c1200) St. Juliana (Bodl.) l. 539 Ihesu is se milzful þet he walde bliðe liche heouenes heale to alle.
c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) i. l. 419 To preyse hym þei be-gynne, Þat he suche honour to his nevewe wolde.
a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) I. 42 What wolde ye with that beeste?
1532 T. More Confut. Tyndales Answere ii. p. ci Wherein euery mannes earys that wolde [1557 woulde] hym well, glowe for very shame.
a1533 Ld. Berners tr. Arthur of Brytayn (?1560) lxxviii. sig. Uii I am in certayne yt he would you more honour than any persone lyuynge.
1598 W. Shakespeare Love's Labour's Lost v. ii. 174 What would these stranges?
1599 A. Hume Hymnes sig. B4v What sa the fantasie wald.
1600 W. Shakespeare Merchant of Venice i. iii. 62 Is hee yet possest How much ye would? Shy. I, I, three thousand ducats. View more context for this quotation
1611 Bible (King James) Josh. xv. 18 Caleb said vnto her, What wouldest thou? View more context for this quotation
1821 Ld. Byron Marino Faliero (2nd issue) ii. i. 49 Doge. Come hither, child; I would a word with you.
1822 Ld. Byron Werner (1823) i. i. 35 But, in a word, what would you with me?
1898 ‘A. Hope’ Rupert of Hentzau v. 75 ‘Take it off. I won't have a gray beard! Take it off!’ Well what would you? A man is free to be shaved if he chooses, so much more a king. So it's taken off.
†6. transitive. figurative. Equivalent to sense 3b, expressing a logical, legal, or moral requirement: (of an abstract thing, e.g. law, reason) demand, necessitate (that something should be done). Obsolete.
ΚΠ
a1350 (?c1280) Conception of Mary (Ashm.) l. 218 in C. Horstmann Altengl. Legenden (1875) 1st Ser. 76 Þe lawe wolde þt no womman vn spoused me scholde iseo.
a1500 tr. La Belle Dame sans Mercy (Cambr.) l. 272 in F. J. Furnivall Polit., Relig., & Love Poems (1903) 90 Yit resoun wuld it were in remembraunce.
a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1994) I. xxvi. 336 And sesse youre cry till I haue told What that my worship wold.
II. As an auxiliary verb, usually with a following bare infinitive, but occasionally (chiefly from Middle English to the mid 17th century) with to-infinitive, esp. after an intervening word or words (cf. to prep. 19) (now only with willing: see willing adj. 1a(a)).In use with to-infinitive, not always distinguishable from will v.2
* The present tense will.
†7. Expressing a desire: desire to, wish to, want to, have a mind to (do something); often also implying intention (cf. senses 9, 12, 16). Obsolete.Often implied in other senses.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > wish or inclination > desire > wishing > wish [verb (transitive)]
unneeOE
willOE
wishc1000
yon1481
apprecatea1631
want1931
OE Beowulf (2008) 2864 Þæt, la, mæg secgan se ðe wyle soð specan.
OE Blickling Homilies 233 Gif þu þonne wille mildheortnesse us don, sæge us þæt hrædlice.
a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 37 Ȝif þu wult habben bone to drihten, þu most beon on ward þine sunnen.
c1384 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(2)) (1850) Matt. xiv. 5 And he willynge to slea hym, drede the peple.
a1425 J. Wyclif Sel. Eng. Wks. (1871) II. 56 Wolt þou be hool? seide Crist to him.
a1500 (?c1450) Merlin iii. 54 Thei haue assembled a grete power, and wele to conquere this londe be force.
1527 in State Papers Henry VIII (1836) IV. 471 Meanes thowe to strive with me? woll thowe wynne any thing at my handes?
1562 N. Winȝet Certain Tractates (1888) I. 24 Sen now al men wilbe theologis.
1632 W. Lithgow Totall Disc. Trav. iii. 101 The which I willing to see, I entreated my associats to accompany me thither.
1697 Countess D'Aunoy's Trav. (1706) 149 I will not write to you often, because I will always have a stock of News to tell you, which..is pretty long in picking up.
1714 Locke's Ess. Humane Understanding i. iv, in Wks. I. 24 The great Encomiasts of the Chineses, do all to a man agree and will convince us that the Sect of the Literati..are..Atheists.
1862 W. M. Thackeray Adventures of Philip I. iii. 35 He..examines the dinner-card..; points..to the dishes which he will have served.
8.
a. Expressing response to another person's desire or requirement, or to an obligation or expectation of some kind: am (is, are) disposed, willing, or prepared to; consent to. †Also sometimes in early use: deign or condescend to (obsolete).In quot. 1490 †in imperative use (obsolete, rare): cf. sense 8b and the corresponding negative use in sense 13.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > wish or inclination > wish or be disposed or inclined [verb]
willeOE
listc1200
to be of (also in) (a) minda1325
to will well that1340
likea1375
to find in one's hearta1393
to have a minda1400
pleasec1450
set1470
to have a mind1530
care1560
fadge1592
please1611
choose1622
offer1639
to feel like1808
the mind > will > wish or inclination > willingness > be willing [verb (intransitive)]
willeOE
reckeOE
to make no courtesy1542
sussy1567
fadge1592
brook1604
to make no knobs1677
to go out of one's way (to do something)1680
eOE (Kentish) Charter: Lufu to Christ Church, Canterbury (Sawyer 1197) in N. P. Brooks & S. E. Kelly Charters of Christ Church Canterbury, Pt. 2 (2013) 744 Se man se ðis healdan wille & lestan ðet ic beboden hebbe an ðisem gewrite, se him seald & gehealden sia hiabenlice bledsung.
OE Genesis B 559 Gif þu þeah minum wilt, wif willende, wordum hyran.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 5297 & te birrþ wilenn swelltenn. Forr cristess þewwess.
c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) l. 701 Ich þe wole marie wel..To þe nobloste bacheler þat þin herte wile to stonde.
a1450 Partonope of Blois (Univ. Coll. Oxf.) (1912) l. 2642 Partanope wole no lenger byde.
a1475 Bp. Grossetest's Househ. Stat. (Sloane 1986) in Babees Bk. (2002) i. 331 And they wyllen to do that ye wylle to do.
1490 W. Caxton tr. Boke yf Eneydos xix. sig. Eviiiv O goddes celestial..gyue socours to me.., and wul permute rigoure to equyte.
1508 W. Kennedy Flyting (Chepman & Myllar) in Poems W. Dunbar (1998) I. 215 Thare is na schip that wil the now ressaue.
1526 Bible (Tyndale) John v. f. cxxvij And yett will ye nott come to me that ye myght have lyfe.
1606 J. Marston Parasitaster v. H 4 Whole kisse thee now? whole court thee now? whole ha thee now?
1608 W. Shakespeare King Lear vii. 361 If..You will returne and soiorne with my sister,..come then to me. View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Antony & Cleopatra (1623) v. ii. 230 Heere is a rurall Fellow, That will not be deny'de your Highnesse presence. View more context for this quotation
1710 S. Palmer Moral Ess. Prov. 351 Love and Tenderness won't permit a Good Man always to make a strict Computation.
1791 W. Cowper tr. Homer Iliad in Iliad & Odyssey I. xiii. 450 I will confess, That thou art more than mortal, if thou yield To ancient Priam all thy promis'd aid.
1800 W. Wordsworth Hart-leap Well 134 There's neither dog nor heifer, horse nor sheep, Will wet his lips within that cup of stone.
1865 J. Ruskin Sesame & Lilies ii. 192 Will you never..fence them in their shuddering from the fierce wind?
1921 Times Lit. Suppl. 10 Feb. 88/3 Literature thrives where people will read what they do not agree with, if it is good.
1990 Fast Forward 28 Mar. 14/1 My problem is girls—they won't go out with me.
2019 Forbes.com (Nexis) 28 Jan. Some of the must-have things, I will admit, only make sense to the people who must have them.
b. Expressing a request in the second person, in the interrogative or in a subordinate clause after a verb such as beg.Such a request is usually courteous, but when given emphasis, it is impatient.This construction implies a first person response: ‘I beg that you will excuse this’ implies ‘I will excuse it’.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > speech > request > request or ask for [verb (transitive)] > expressing a request
willOE
willc1300
OE Seven Sleepers (Julius) (1994) 42 We biddað þe, leof hlaford, þæt ðu gehyran wylle ure word.
lOE St. Margaret (Corpus Cambr.) (1994) 166 Wilt þu me get geheran and to minum gode þe gebiddan?
?a1300 Fox & Wolf l. 186 in G. H. McKnight Middle Eng. Humorous Tales (1913) 33 Þou hauest ben ofte min I-fere, Woltou nou mi srift I-here?
c1390 Pistel of Swete Susan (Vernon) l. 135 Wolt þou, ladi, for loue, on vre lay lerne?
1485 Malory's Morte Darthur (Caxton) i. vi. sig. aiiiiv Sir said Ector vnto Arthur woll ye be my good & gracious lord when ye are kyng.
1592 R. Greene Philomela To Rdr. sig. A4 I..craue that you will beare with this fault.
1600 W. Shakespeare Henry V ii. i. 43 Will you shog off?
1608 W. Shakespeare King Lear vii. 313 On my knees I beg, That you'l vouchsafe me rayment, bed and food. View more context for this quotation
1720 A. Ramsay Young Laird & Edinb. Katy 1 O Katy wiltu gang wi' me, And leave the dinsome Town a while.
1823 W. Scott St. Ronan's Well III. iv. 96 I desire you will found nothing on an expression hastily used.
1878 T. Hardy Return of Native III. v. iii. 144 Oh, Oh, Oh,..Oh, will you have done!
1970 C. Hampton Philanthropist iv. 49 Will you please stop parroting on about breakfast?
2018 Deseret Morning News (Salt Lake City) (Nexis) 8 Aug. I beg you will not let him hurt somebody else's little girl.
†9. Expressing voluntary action, or conscious intention directed to the doing of what is expressed by the principal verb, without temporal reference or emphasis: choose to, intend consciously or voluntarily to. Formerly sometimes (e.g. in quots. 1490, 1539) in stronger sense: resolve to, be determined to. In the negative: choose not to, have no intention of —ing. Obsolete. N.E.D. (1926) notes: ‘The proper word for this idea, which cannot be so precisely expressed by any other’. However, this use is now subsumed in other senses (especially sense 11), or is expressed more explicitly by will v.2 4a.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > decision > resolve or decide [verb]
willOE
ordain1340
deemc1400
delibera1413
machine?c1450
order?1523
decree1526
deliberate1550
fix1788
the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > future [verb (intransitive)] > will or shall > expressing intention or volition
willOE
willOE
shallc1175
OE Genesis A (1931) 2390 Ne wile Sarran soð gelyfan wordum minum.
OE Blickling Homilies 23 We..nu eft sceolon oþerne eþel secan, swa wite, swa wuldor, swe we nu geearnian willaþ.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 12017 Ne wile i nohht..Don affterr þatt tu læresst.
a1225 (c1200) Vices & Virtues (1888) 145 Ich þis ne mai habben, bute ðu for ðine michele god-nesse..hit me ȝiuen wille.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 5987 Gas þan, sin yee wil þider ga.
1488 (c1478) Hary Actis & Deidis Schir William Wallace (Adv.) (1968–9) v. l. 124 I bott rahers as my autour will say.
1490 Caxton's Blanchardyn & Eglantine (1962) xli. 155 Men sayen comynly, that he whome god wyll haue kept, may not be peryshed.
1528 in I. S. Leadam Select Cases Star Chamber (1911) II. 19 Mulso..sayeth..that your sayed besechar shall..pay hym suche a Fyne..as he woll demaund at hys pleasure.
1539 Bible (Great) Isa. lxvi. 6 I heare ye voyce of the Lorde, that wyll rewarde, & recompence his enemyes.
1578 G. Whetstone Promos & Cassandra: 1st Pt. iv. vii. sig. Fj Dalia, arte thou gone? what wolt serue me soe?
1635 J. Shirley Lady of Pleasure (1637) v. I 4 b I know you..wonot ruine What you have built to honour you.
1685 R. Baxter Paraphr. New Test. Matt. ix. 25 When God will tell us we shall know.
1746 P. Francis tr. Horace in P. Francis & W. Dunkin tr. Horace Epistles i. i. 42 You cannot hope for Lynceus' piercing eyes: But will you then a strengthening salve despise?
10. Expressing habitual or characteristic action: has the habit or characteristic of ——ing, has a way of ——ing; is accustomed to ——ing; habitually does. Sometimes with a connotation of ‘may be expected to’ (cf. sense 15).boys will be boys: see boy n.1 and int. Phrases 1. girls will be girls: girl n. Phrases 1b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > behaviour > customary or habitual mode of behaviour > act habitually [verb (intransitive)] > be accustomed to do something
willeOE
wonc1000
haunta1400
customc1450
accustomc1475
use1533
wonta1547
practise1582
want1627
observea1629
eOE tr. Orosius Hist. (BL Add.) (1980) v. vii. 122 Elpendes hyd wile drincan wætan, gelice & spynge deð.
OE Riddle 39 5 Heo wile gesecan sundor æghwylcne feorhberendra, gewiteð eft feran on weg.
c1390 (?c1350) St. Euphrosyne l. 424 in C. Horstmann Sammlung Altengl. Legenden (1878) 179 Whom he loueþ, he wol chastise.
?c1450 tr. Bk. Knight of La Tour Landry (1906) 34 Women that wol goo to see iustinge..and also wol go on pilgrimage more for sporte than for deuocion.
1523 J. Skelton Goodly Garlande of Laurell sig. A.ijv Humors superflue that often wyll crepe In to the brayne.
1539 Bible (Great) Ecclus. xxi. 24 A foole will pepe in at the window into the house, but he that is wel nourtured, wyll stande without.
1600 W. Shakespeare Much Ado about Nothing ii. iii. 190 The man doth feare God, howsoeuer it seemes not in him, by some large iestes hee will make. View more context for this quotation
1646 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica iii. xv. 142 Crabs move sideling, Lobsters will swim swiftly backward. View more context for this quotation
1780 Mirror No. 93 Of those trifles, the nature will commonly mark the man.
1865 J. Ruskin Sesame & Lilies ii. 186 Men, by their nature, are prone to fight; they will fight for any cause, or for none.
1884 Times (Weekly ed.) 26 Sept. 13/3 Should they make a good haul on Monday, they will lounge away the rest of the week.
1964 M. Hynes Med. Bacteriol. (ed. 8) vii. 74 An animal will not normally form antibodies to its own tissues, even though these may be powerfully antigenic to a litter-mate.
2000 Wildlife Soc. Bull. 28 405/1 Black bears will generally be more vulnerable to valley-bottom disturbance than brown bears.
11. Expressing determination, insistence, or persistence without temporal reference (cf. sense 12).Developed as a more emphatic use of sense 9.will needs: see needs adv. 6a.
a. With ironic or critical force, expressing doubt about another person's assertion or opinion. Chiefly with have followed by object and infinitive or that (see have v. 25b).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > statement > assertion or affirmation > [verb (transitive)] > referring to another's assertion or opinion
willOE
OE Ælfric De Temporibus Anni (Cambr. Gg.3.28) (2009) viii. 90 Ða læwedan wyllað habban ðone monan [i.e. the age of the moon], be ðan þe hi hine geseoð.
c1454 R. Pecock Folewer to Donet 30 But if, as summe men wolen holde, þat þe fantastik witt is in þe same cellis placid with comoun witt and with ymaginacioun?
1592 T. Nashe Pierce Penilesse (Huntington Libr. copy) sig. B3v I heare say there be Mathematitions abroad, that will prooue men before Adam.
1605 R. Verstegan Restit. Decayed Intelligence ii. 25 Some not contented to haue them [sc. the Saxons] a people of German race, wil needs bring them from els where.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 1 (1623) ii. iii. 58 This is a Riddling Merchant for the nonce, He will be here, and yet he is not here. View more context for this quotation
1624 T. Gataker Discuss. Transubstant. 197 The pretence of a Church and Religion like to theirs in former ages canot..be defended... Some will haue it to haue beene latent and invisible for 800..yeers.
1728 E. Chambers Cycl. at Honey Some Naturalists will have the Honey to be of a different Quality, according to the Difference of the Flowers or Plants the Bees suck it from.
1821 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. 10 88 Some will have this to be the due consequences of sexagenary decay.
1939 National Advocate (Bathurst, Austral.) 27 Mar. 6/5 ‘It was selfishness, really,’ she told him, ‘nothing like the wonderful thing you will have it to be, Jerry darling.’
2011 S. Sallis Lydia Fielding 117 Julius will have it that she has made a bargain with Sir Anthony.
b. In emphatic use. Be fully determined to; insist on or persist in ——ing; sometimes also implying habitual action (as an emphatic use of sense 10). In the first person, also implying future action, as an emphatic use of sense 12a. In the negative: insist on or persist in not ——ing. Also figurative: must inevitably, is sure to.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > necessity > must of necessity [verb (intransitive)] > must inevitably
willa1387
the mind > will > decision > resolution or determination > be determined on [verb]
willa1387
set1390
to be bentc1400
to stand on?1440
to sit fast upon (something)1565
consist1588
to stick out1837
the mind > will > decision > perseverance or persistence > persevere or persist [verb]
to stand inc1175
willa1387
lie1692
threap1827
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1874) V. 143 Ȝif ȝe willeþ nedes stryve, abydeth þe dome of God Almyȝty.
1573 G. Gascoigne Hundreth Sundrie Flowres 339 I must and will endure, thy spite without repent.
?1611 G. Chapman tr. Homer Iliads vi. 498 Fate's such a shrewish thing, She will be mistris.
1673 J. Dryden Marriage a-la-Mode i. i. 5 I know not that; but obey I will, and must.
1740 S. Richardson Pamela II. 290 I cannot, I wo'not sit down at Table with her.
1794 A. Radcliffe Myst. of Udolpho III. vi. 134 If he will lock the door..and take away the key, how am I to get out..?
1807 W. Wordsworth Poems I. 25 Buttercups, that will be seen, Whether we will see or no.
1818 T. L. Peacock Nightmare Abbey xiii. 190 There is a girl concealed in this tower, and find her I will.
1845 M. Pattison in Christian Remembrancer Jan. 72 An impulse which will vent itself in some form or other.
1885 R. L. Stevenson in Contemp. Rev. Apr. 557 Those blindest of the blind who will not see.
1891 19th Cent. Dec. 859 The Court cannot and will not stand..journalistic personalities about its members.
1942 Tee Emm (Air Ministry) 2 67 All because the Prunes of the Air Force will ignore the existence of A.A. Danger Areas.
1968 M. Allwright Roundabout xii. 84 I remembered..the hot plate left on at high. (I will forget to turn it down to low.)
2019 @olive_garden_tx 16 Mar. in twitter.com (accessed 18 Mar. 2019) I can, and I will, pass all of my AP tests.
12. Expressing determination, wish, or intention to bring about some action, event, or state of things in the future: intend to, mean to. In the negative: refuse or decline to. Contrast shall v. 8, and see note at that sense.
a. In the first person.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > future [verb (intransitive)] > will or shall > I will or shall
willOE
OE Genesis A (1931) 1296 Ic wille mid flode folc acwellan.
OE Blickling Homilies 191 ‘Hwyder wilt þu gangan?’ ‘Min Drihten, ic wille gangan to Rome.’
a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 13 Ic eou wille ȝeuan wela..inoȝe.
c1330 (?a1300) Sir Tristrem (1886) l. 140 Mi rede is taken þer tille, Þat fare y wille wiþ þe.
?1476 J. Paston in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) I. 604 I wyll and shall at all seasons be redy.
1539 Bible (Great) John xii. 28 I haue both glorified it, and will glorify it agayne.
a1616 W. Shakespeare As you like It (1623) v. iii. 2 To morow will we be married. View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Coriolanus (1623) v. iii. 129 Ile run away Till I am bigger, but then Ile fight. View more context for this quotation
1672 J. Dryden Conquest Granada ii. iii. i. 105 I wonnot lift an arm in his defence.
1777 C. Reeve Champion of Virtue 55 Never fear it..I will speak to Joseph about it.
1820 J. Keats Isabella in Lamia & Other Poems 62 Good bye! I'll soon be back.
1842 Ld. Tennyson Morte d'Arthur in Poems (new ed.) II. 6 Yet I thy hest will all perform at full.
1934 N. Marsh Man lay Dead xii. 207 I'll ring through at about one o'clock.
1990 Village Voice (N.Y.) 11 Dec. 29/4 Then I learn I am pregnant. I won't abort it.
2011 A. Wells Fen Freshers 167 I have the proofs now, and I will bring them down to you next Thursday, before Full Term starts.
b. In the second and third person, in questions or indirect statements.These constructions report or expect an implied first person statement: ‘she says she will stay’ implies ‘she says, “I will stay”’.
ΚΠ
OE Blickling Homilies 191 ‘Hwyder wilt þu gangan?’ ‘Min Drihten, ic wille gangan to Rome.’
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1959) Exod. ii. 14 Wheþer þou wyll slee me as þou slewe ȝisterdey þe Egypcyen?
c1450 tr. Secreta Secret. (Royal) 11 That eche mane se..that he dredith god, and that he wolle governe him aftir goddis plesaunce.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) iv. i. 100 Her waspish headed sonne..Swears he will shoote no more. View more context for this quotation
1648 S. Kem Let. to Ld. Denbigh 19 Nov. (MS.) Nor is it thoght he will to stay onely to get ye saylers aboard.
1736 Bp. J. Butler Analogy of Relig. i. i. 21 A Man determines,..that he will walk to such a Place with a Staff a Week hence.
1839 E. W. Lane tr. Thousand & One Nights I. ii. 85 I will cure thee without giving thee to drink any potion... When King Yoonán heard his words, he..said.., How wilt thou do this?
1930 ‘E. M. Delafield’ Diary Provinc. Lady 127 Cook relents, so far as to say that she will stay until I am suited.
2002 H. Holt Leonora (2003) xvii. 188 When will you move into your new bungalow?
†13. In imperative (also second person) singular and imperative plural with negative: do not. Cf. nill v. 2b. Obsolete.In quot. eOE the word shows equivalent use of the present subjunctive singular; cf. note at Forms 4a.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > statement > refusal > [verb (transitive)]
warnc897
willeOE
forbidc1000
warnc1000
willOE
asake1250
withsay1297
gainsayc1330
recusea1387
naitc1390
to say naya1393
again-say?a1400
denyc1400
withnayc1400
biwern1413
refuse?1435
resist1539
detrect1542
renege1545
detract1572
waive1642
declinea1691
nay-say1762
nay-saya1774
nix1903
off1908
ixnay1937
eOE tr. Bede Eccl. Hist. (Tanner) v. xiv. 438 Cwæð he se cyng: Ne wille ðu swa sprecan [L. Noli, inquit, ita loqui].
OE Exodus 266 Ne willað eow andrædan deade feðan.
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Douce 369(1)) (1850) Ecclus. vii. 1 Wile thou not don eueles [L. noli facere mala].
a1450 Lessons of Dirige (Digby) l. 37 in J. Kail 26 Polit. Poems (1904) 108 Y shal saye to god..Wyl noȝt dampne me fro blisse.
1530 Myroure Oure Ladye (Fawkes) (1873) ii. 151 Wylleth not geue place to the fende.
14. Expressing prediction of future events.
a. In the second and third person.In standard British English between the 17th cent. and 20th cent., corresponding to shall in the first person (see note at shall v. 8).Sometimes expressing a serious warning of the certainty of a future event; cf. shall v. 8a.
(a) will followed by the infinitive with present tense reference.
ΚΠ
OE Ælfric Gram. (St. John's Oxf.) 247 Loquuturus, se ðe wyle oððe sceal sprecan.
OE Paris Psalter (1932) lxxiii. 19 Ne byð se eadmoda æfre gecyrred, þeah þe wædla and þearfa he wyle naman þinne neode herian [L. laudabunt nomen tuum].
a1275 in C. Brown Eng. Lyrics 13th Cent. (1932) 39 Peter, Wel i þe icnowe; þou wolt fur-sake me þrien ar þe coc him crowe.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Fairf. 14) l. 12919 Bot or he wille him ffully shaw. bot ȝet a quile he wille a-bide.
1464 in C. L. Kingsford Stonor Lett. & Papers (1919) I. 67 Nothyng..attemptyng to the contrarie therof, as they woll aunswere at theyr parell.
1483 ( tr. G. Deguileville Pilgrimage of Soul (Caxton) iv. xxx. f. lxxvij* No doute, he wol be redy anon to the deth to kepe the countre & defende it fro his enemyes.
1529 in T. Wright Three Chapters Lett. Suppression Monasteries (1843) 4 I..have showed unto hym my full myende therin, the which I doubte not he wull declare unto your grace.
1592 Arden of Feversham v. i. 145 Mosbie will be there, whose very looks Will add unwonted courage to my thought.
1623 W. Shakespeare & J. Fletcher Henry VIII i. ii. 87 If we shall stand still, In feare our motion will be mock'd, or carp'd at. View more context for this quotation
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics iii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 109 Time is lost, which never will renew. View more context for this quotation
1788 W. Cowper Let. 9 Dec. (1982) III. 240 They will probably return this day fortnight.
1850 Ld. Tennyson Princess (ed. 3) 51 Rest, rest, on mother's breast, Father will come to thee soon.
1872 J. Morley Voltaire i. 12 His pigmy hope that life will one day become somewhat better.
1918 W. Cather My Ántonia i. xvii. 143 Heavy field work'll spoil that girl. She'll lose all her nice ways and get rough ones.
1922 tr. in P. van Dyke Catherine de Médicis II. xxxvi. 237 Think well what you say. You must be surety for it. You will answer for it with your life.
2013 New Yorker 25 Nov. 79/2 He described how people with heart problems will one day wear a self-contained ‘artificial pericardium’.
(b) will have followed by the past participle, indicating an action or process already completed in the future.
ΚΠ
a1648 Ld. Herbert Occas. Verses (1665) 78 And thus, though you more then an Angel be, Since being here to sin and mischief free, You will have rais'd your self to their degree.
1660 W. Leybourn tr. J. de Billy in Arithmetick, Vulgar, Decimal, & Instrumental (new ed.) iv. v. 350 A Hare is 100 Geometrical paces distant from a Dog that swiftly pursues him... It is demanded how many Geometrical paces the Hare will have run when the Dog overtaketh her.
1824 S. T. Coleridge Coll. Lett. (1971) V. 393 But probably before you can sit down to answer this, you will have received another..Scripture from me.
1914 C. S. Churchill Let. 29 May in W. S. Churchill & C. S. Churchill Speaking for Themselves (1999) iv. 88 If it [sc. a letter] conveys to you the feeling of wanting much to be loved & petted by you..it will have served its purpose.
2002 Western Horseman Jan. 20/1 When the buckle is presented to the Lovington, N.M. cowboy, he will have matched the all-time record for world titles set by Jim Shoulders in 1959.
b. In the first person.
(a) will followed by the infinitive with present tense reference.Between the 17th cent. and 20th cent. mainly in Scottish, Irish, English regional, and North American use, shall being the usual auxiliary in standard British English (see shall v. 7, 8, 10). 'll now usually replaces both in spoken colloquial use in all regions.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > future [verb (intransitive)] > will or shall
willeOE
eOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Otho) (2009) I. vi. 402 H[wæt] wille we cweðan be þinum twæ[m sunum]?
OE Ælfric Gram. (St. John's Oxf.) 152 Docturus sum cras pueros, ic wylle tæcan to merigen þam cildum.
?a1425 in Anglia (1904) 27 287 Blyth will I be For to worschip þat wight.
1561 T. Hoby tr. B. Castiglione Courtyer Ep. Autour sig. C.iiiv If the booke shall generally please, I wil count him good.
a1600 in A. Ramsay Ever-Green (1761) II. 224 Allace! that Day I'll neir forzet.
1604 W. Shakespeare Hamlet v. ii. 137 I will winne for him and I can, if not, I will gaine nothing but my shame, and the odde hits.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Comedy of Errors (1623) iv. i. 39 Perchance I will be there as soone as you. View more context for this quotation
1638 A. Henderson Serm. (1867) 279 If so be that we will wrestle with God for a blessing, and prevail with him, then..we sall wrestle the enemies out of it also.
1704 Atholl MSS in Sc. National Dict. (1965) VI. 235/1 If they send others and not me I hope your grace will not want me and I will hafe both my meat and mense.
1734 W. Crawford Short Man. against Infidelity xiv. 121 Then we will be pleased with the Exertments of his Authority.
1793 R. Burns Poems & Songs (1968) II. 713 I maun see thee never, Jamie, I'll see thee never!
1825 W. Scott in J. G. Lockhart Ballantyne-humbug (1839) 99 I expect we will have some good singing.
1892 A. C. Gunter Miss Dividends ii Perhaps you are right,..However, I will know all about it myself in a few weeks.
1923 S. Kaye-Smith End of House of Alard i. §21 But I'll be all right..if I go away.
1969 C. Potok Promise (1971) x. 196 Now we will have to hurry or we will be late.
2016 Radio Times 4 June (South/West ed.) 17/1 Think we'll lose to Germany? We'll probably beat them 1–0!
(b) will have followed by the past participle, indicating an action or process already completed in the future.I (or we) will have followed by a past participle seems to occur only in works on English grammar and foreign languages before the end of the 19th cent.
ΚΠ
1784 R. Harrison Inst. Eng. Gram. (ed. 2) iv. 47 I will have loved.
1828 N. Webster Amer. Dict. Eng. Lang. I. Gram. Eng. Lang. We cannot say, ‘I will have had possession a year, on the first of October next’; but I shall have had, is a common expression.
1841 J. Ehrenfried Colloq. Phrases & Dialogues in German & Eng. 22 Wir werden die Ehre gehabt haben. We will have had the honor.
1909 R. W. Lardner in D. Elder Ring Lardner (1956) ii. 73 On May eleventh, home stay's ceased, I will have started for the east.
1950 R. Ellison Let. 24 Jan. in R. Ellison & A. Murray Trading Twelves (2000) 8 I will have passed through the goddamnedest experience of my life and shall never be the same.
1999 Soldier June 68/2 When I leave the Army in December I will have completed 12 years and eight months of colour service.
c. In the second person, expressing formal (sometimes abrupt) commands or requests. Also in the third person with equivalent force (as in Your Majesty will pardon me, All recruits will parade at seven o'clock).In quot. OE with wylle in the subjunctive. There is probably no continuity between the Old English and later usage. Possible Middle English examples are disputed and can be explained otherwise; quot. a1413 is sometimes interpreted as hypothetical.
ΚΠ
OE Genesis A (1931) 2675 Mago Ebrea, þæs þu me wylle wordum secgean, hu geworhte ic þæt.
a1413 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (Pierpont Morgan) (1882) v. l. 944 So er þat I departe out of þis place Ye wol [c1430 Cambr. Gg.4.27 Þat ȝe] me graunte þat I may to morwe At bettre leyser tel[len] yow my sorwe.
1598 F. Bacon Let. to Earl of Essex in Wks. (1862) (modernized text) IX. iv. 96 But your Lordship will accept my duty and good meaning.
1641 E. Dering Speeches Commons House Parl. 8 You will please to select a Subcommittee of 4, 6, 8, or 10. at the most, and to impower them for the discovery of the great number of oppressed Ministers.
1778 G. Washington Let. 26 Nov. in Papers (2008) Revolutionary War Ser. XVIII. 297 You will forthwith proceed to Durham..with your Regiment of Cavalry.
1831 W. Scott Count Robert vii, in Tales of my Landlord 4th Ser. I. 209 In your intercourse with their chiefs,..you will take care to give no offence to their natural presumption.
1911 Horseless Age 22 Mar. 536/2 You will kindly state in your next issue what a cycle in a motor represents.
1951 H. Wouk Caine Mutiny (1952) ii. xiii. 163 Commanding officer Caine will submit in person repeat in person written report on latest fiasco to operations officer ComServPac.
2014 D. Shafer Whiskey Tango Foxtrot 230 They arrived at the door to a cabin... ‘You will please not leave your room.’.. ‘Where would I go?’
d. Now chiefly Scottish, Irish English, English regional, and North American. In the first person, used in questions to which the expected answer is a command, direction, or counsel, or a resolve on the speaker's own part; = shall v. 7a.
ΚΠ
1602 B. Jonson Poetaster v. iii. sig. L2v What? will I turne Sharke, vpon my Friends?.. I scorn it with my three Soules.
a1732 T. Boston Sovereignty & Wisdom of God (1737) 55 How will we prove ourselves the genuine kindly Children of God, if still warring with the Crook?
a1777 S. Foote Cozeners (1778) i. 12 What the devil will I do wid them, my dear?
1803 Sir Patrick Spens in Minstrelsy Sc. Border (ed. 2) III. 64 O whare will I get a skeely skipper, To sail this new ship of mine?
1875 E. H. Dering Sherborne xxxix ‘Will I start, sir?’ asked the Irish groom.
1938 M. K. Rawlings Yearling ix. 98 ‘Will we take both dogs?’ ‘Nobody but old Julia.’
2006 P. McIntosh Merchant's Mark (2008) v. 126 Will I get a bit kindling, my leddy, and start splitting wee skelfs off it?
15.
a. Expressing prediction of a contingent future event, or a result to be expected, in a supposed case or under particular conditions (with the condition expressed by a conditional, temporal, or imperative clause, or implied): must as a necessary consequence.Also in will have followed by a past participle, indicating an action or process already completed in the future.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > future [verb (intransitive)] > will or shall > expressing a contingent event
willeOE
shallc1440
eOE King Ælfred tr. Gregory Pastoral Care (Hatton) (1871) xi. 71 Gif hiere ne bið sona gestiered, hio wile weahsan mid ungemete.
lOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Bodl.) (2009) I. xxxvi. 340 Gif þu æfre cymst..to þære stowe.., þonne wilt ðu cweþan: Þis is min riht eðel.
a1250 Lofsong Louerde in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 215 Vnwrih him þene wei þet is þi wilnunge, and he wule hit forðen.
tr. Palladius De re Rustica (Duke Humfrey) (1896) xii. l. 112 (MED) Yef hem this drynke, anoon they wole be sounde.
c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) l. 297 For, bow he fra þe bataill,..Þen will he wed anoþire wife, & wayfe me for euer.
1563 W. Fulke Goodle Gallerye Causes Meteors iv. f. 50v If a darke cloude be at the sunne rysing, in whiche the sunne soone after is hidde..rayn wyll followe.
1608 W. Shakespeare King Lear xiii. 74 I do not like the fashion of your garments youle say, They are Persian attire, but let them be chang'd. View more context for this quotation
1664 Duke of Albemarle Let. 14 Jan. in A. Marvell Wks. (1875) II. 98 I think it wilbee very vnseemely for you or them to endeavour the destruction of the others charter.
1715 D. Defoe Family Instructor I. i. i. 11 Won't God be angry with me if I should love him?
c1740 Visct. Bolingbroke Idea Patriot King Pref. 4 He who abandons or betrays his Country, will abandon or betray his Friend.
1842 R. Browning Cristina in Bells & Pomegranates No. III: Dramatic Lyrics viii And then, come next life quickly! This world's use will have been ended.
1861 M. Pattison in Westm. Rev. Apr. 414 The lover of the Elizabethan drama will readily recal many such allusions.
2005 Sydney Morning Herald 7 July 11/4 Go to Canberra and you'll find a group of elected representatives who expect to be called Senator or Minister.
b. Expressing the likeliness of an action or fact with little or no future reference: will prove or turn out to, will be found on inquiry to; may be supposed to. Hence (originally Scottish and English regional (northern)) in estimates of amount, or in uncertain or approximate statements, equivalent to a present tense with qualification, as in it will be… ‘I think it is…’ or ‘it is about…’; what will that be? ‘what do you think that is?’.Also in will have and past participle, indicating an action or process already completed in the future.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > judgement or decision > evaluation, estimation, appraisal > estimate [verb (intransitive)] > is likely to be
willOE
will?1812
OE St. Andrew (Corpus Cambr.) in F. G. Cassidy & R. N. Ringler Bright's Old Eng. Gram. & Reader (1971) 213 Mid þi þe hie gehyrdon þara sacerda ealdormen and hie cwædon him betweonon, ‘Hwæt wile þis wesan?’
c1405 (c1385) G. Chaucer Knight's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 1261 With hym ther wenten knyghtes many oon Som wol ben armed in an haubergeoun..And som wol haue a peire plates large.
?a1475 Ludus Coventriae (1922) 367 I am aferd there wyll be sum thyng a-mys.
1584 Hornby Priory in Craven Gloss. (1828) Where on 40 Acres there will be xiij.s. iv.d. per acre yerely for rent.
1641 in R. W. Cochran-Patrick Rec. Coinage Scotl. (1876) I. Introd. 31 The kings haill tale vpoun the bullioun will not be 3000 li by yeir.
a1791 F. Grose Olio (1792) 106 I believe he will be an Irishman.
a1791 F. Grose Olio (1792) 107 C. How far is it to Dumfries? W. It will be twenty miles.
1814 H. M. Brackenridge Views Louisiana ii. viii. 156 The agriculture of this territory will be very similar to that of Kentucky.
1818 W. Scott Heart of Mid-Lothian i, in Tales of my Landlord 2nd Ser. II. 10 I think..ye will be the same lad that was for in to see her yestreen?
1852 M. Arnold Tristram & Iseult i. 5 What lights will those out to the northward be?
1859 Habits Good Society (new ed.) 219 An untravelled man is always at some disadvantage in good English society, where almost every one but himself will have crossed the channel.
1876 F. K. Robinson Gloss. Words Whitby 17/1 This word we have only once heard, and that will be twenty years ago.
1953 K. von Frisch Dancing Bees 15 Most of you will have seen a pollen-collector making for home with her legs coated with pollen, looking as if she wore plus-fours.
2004 H. Walsh Brass i. 5 Shite! I'm late and that'll be her on the mobie now so I'm just letting it run on to answer.
c. With personal subject (usually first person singular), expressing a voluntary act or choice in a supposed case, or a conditional promise or undertaking: be bound to, undertake to. Now chiefly in asseverations (e.g. I will die sooner than…, I'll be hanged if…, etc.).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > free will > act of own free will [verb (intransitive)]
willc1300
the mind > language > statement > assertion or affirmation > [verb (intransitive)] > expressing voluntary act or conditional promise
willc1300
c1300 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Otho) (1963) l. 1967 Raþir ich wolle þe slean mid mine spere.
c1400 (?a1387) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Huntington HM 137) (1873) C. xxi. l. 266 And ȝut ich, book, wol beo brent, bote he arise to lyue.
1600 W. Shakespeare Much Ado about Nothing i. i. 218 [That] is the opinion that fire can not melt out of me, I will die in it at the stake. View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) i. i. 44 I'le warrant him for drowning. View more context for this quotation
1791 J. Boswell Life Johnson anno 1769 I. 325 Johnson: I'll take you five children from London, who shall cuff five Highland children.
1852 W. M. Thackeray Henry Esmond I. vi. 123 I will rather die than let you see this wardrobe.
1898 ‘H. S. Merriman’ Roden's Corner xiii. 138 But I will be hanged if I see what it all means, now.
1964 Mrs. L. B. Johnson White House Diary 8 Apr. (1970) 103 And General George Marshall said, ‘I'll be damned if I will have people calling me “Marshal Marshall”.’
2012 Independent 2 Feb. 2/5 If this lot are in charge of restructuring billions of pounds worth of public spending, I'll eat my hat if it comes off.
d. Expressing a definite or necessary consequence without future reference: must necessarily or invariably.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > necessity > must of necessity [verb (intransitive)] > must inevitably > be an inevitable consequence
willa1387
it is (of) force1483
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1869) II. 235 Þe comoun cubite..conteyneþ but a foot and an half... But a cubite of gemetrie conteyneþ sixe comoun cubites, þat wil be nyne foot long.
?c1425 Crafte Nombrynge in R. Steele Earliest Arithm. in Eng. (1922) 15 Doubulle 2. þat wel be 4...þan doubul 5. þat wel be 10...þen draw downe 1 to 4 & þat wolle be 5.
1639 E. Chilmead tr. R. Hues Learned Treat. Globes iv. x That Starre will set Heliacaly.
1709 J. Ward Young Mathematician's Guide (1734) iii. ii. 293 Then ioyn the Points A and f with a Right-line, and it will form the Angle requir'd.
1838 A. De Morgan Ess. Probabilities 140 That the mean risk of error will, in the long run, be 10/ 17 of that error which is as often exceeded as not.
1887 T. Fowler Elem. Deduct. Logic (ed. 9) 47 From what has been said it will be seen that I do not agree with Mr. Mill.
1931 Amer. Math. Monthly 38 170 If 1 be annexed to any triangular number in the nonary scale of notation, the result will be another triangular number.
2002 R. Sterling et al. World Food: Greece 85 If a taverna has only one barrel of wine it will be white, and it may be retsina.
16.
a. In the first person, expressing the speaker's or writer's immediate intention: I will ‘I am now going to’, ‘I proceed at once to’. In the negative, used idiomatically with verbs such as say, as in I will not say ‘I do not venture so far as to say’.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > future [verb (intransitive)] > will or shall > am now going to
willeOE
shallc1000
eOE tr. Orosius Hist. (BL Add.) (1980) i. i.12 Nu wille we ymbe Europe londgemære areccean swa micel swa we hit fyrmest witon.
lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough interpolation) anno 656 Ic hit wile þe wæl secgon forhwi.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 105 Her icc wile shæwenn ȝuw Hu sannt iohan bapptisste. Wass sennd..biforenn crist To ȝarrkenn cristess weȝȝess.
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 277 ‘Min fligt,’ he seide, ‘ic wile up-taken.’
c1405 (c1387–95) G. Chaucer Canterbury Tales Prol. (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 42 And at a knyght thanne wol I first bigynne.
c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 167 That this conclusioun is trewe y wole proue thus.
1582 W. Allen Briefe Hist. Glorious Martyrdom sig. B8v SLEDD [sic] that Notorious varlet, and infamous Iudas (I wil not say wicked homicid).
1655 T. Fuller Church-hist. Brit. ii. 148 I'le onely adde this short Story and then proceed.
1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 143 In the Morning I had three very good, I will not say handsome Pipkins.
1856 F. L. Olmsted Journey Slave States 78 My host (whom I will call Mr. Newman) observed [etc.].
1885 ‘Mrs. Alexander’ At Bay iii. 45 Very well; I will wish you good evening.
1934 A. Christie Parker Pyne Investigates 72 ‘I will not say I am absolutely sure of it,’ said Mr. Parker Pyne cautiously.
2011 D. Kahneman Thinking, Fast & Slow (2012) xxxv. 377 To distinguish Bentham's interpretation of the term, I will call it experienced utility.
†b. figurative. In the third person, expressing imminent action on the part of something: is ready to, is on the point of ——ing. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > future [verb (intransitive)] > will or shall > am now going to > is on the point of
willOE
OE Blickling Homilies 93 Þonne geseoþ ealle menn þæt hit wile beon æt þisse worlde ende.
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 186 An treo þet wule fallen me underset hit midan oðer.
a1450 (c1385) G. Chaucer Complaint of Mars (Tanner 346) (1871) l. 91 Phebus came to brenne hem with his hete..venus..seyde..The torche is come that all this worlde will [c1450 Fairf. wol] wrye.
c. In the first person plural, expressing a proposal: we will ‘let us’ (in early use with inversion of subject and verb) .
ΚΠ
a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 3 Here cumeð ure king, wule we fare togenes him.
c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Miller's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 408 Tomorwe at nyght whan men been alle aslepe In to oure knedyng tubbes wol we crepe.
c1450 (a1400) Libeaus Desconus (Calig. A.ii) (1969) l. 304 We wylleþ..Fyȝte boþe two.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Two Gentlemen of Verona (1623) iv. i. 9 Peace: we'll heare him. View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) i. ii. 310 Come on, Wee'll visit Caliban. View more context for this quotation
1798 S. T. Coleridge Nightingale in W. Wordsworth & S. T. Coleridge Lyrical Ballads 63 Come, we will rest on this old mossy Bridge!
1823 W. Scott St. Ronan's Well I. xii. 281 We will forget Mrs Dods for the present, if you please.
1898 Argosy Aug. 19 Come, we will show these bravoes our heels.
1992 G. Chandler Taggart: Fatal Inheritance (Scottish TV transmission script) (O.E.D. Archive) 111 It's not locked and the keys aren't in the car. Come on we'll go inside.
17. Expressing potentiality, capacity, or sufficiency: can, may, be able to, be capable of ——ing; is (large) enough or sufficient to. †it will not be: it cannot be done or brought to pass; it is all in vain. Similarly †will it not be?See also that will do at do v. Phrases 5b.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > ability > be able to [verb (intransitive)] > is or are able to or capable of
mayeOE
willeOE
willa1475
kin1875
eOE Bald's Leechbk. (Royal) (1865) i. lxxviii. 150 Gif men unlust sie getenge, nime betonican þæt wille þry penegas gewegan, drinc on swetum wætere.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 7080 Swa muchel lond..swa wule anes bule hude ælches weies ouer-spræden.
?a1425 (?c1350) Northern Passion (Rawl.) l. 3405 (MED) Þis dede we will noght hyde ne hele.
?1537 R. Benese Measurynge Lande sig. Bbii To knowe, howe many foote of borde eor [sic] stone wyll borde or paue ony flore or pauement.
1593 W. Shakespeare Venus & Adonis sig. Ev But all in vaine, good Queene, it will not bee. View more context for this quotation
1599 W. Shakespeare Romeo & Juliet iv. iv. 38 I needs must wake her: Madam, Madam, Madam..will it not be ? View more context for this quotation
1690 J. Locke Ess. Humane Understanding iii. i. 185 Parrots..will be taught to make articulate Sounds.
1728 E. Smith Compl. Housewife (ed. 2) 98 When the Oven is ready, pour in your Stuff... Half an hour will bake it.
1790 W. Cowper Let. 21 Mar. (1982) III. 360 My periwig is arrived,..my head will only go into the first half of it.
1833 N. Arnott Elements Physics (ed. 5) I. 597 The heart will beat after removal from the body.
1933 A. M. Lindbergh Let. 3 Dec. in Locked Rooms & Open Doors (1974) 165 The pump won't fit into the gas tank; we have to siphon it with a small tube.
2017 Aberdeen Press & Jrnl. (Nexis) 16 Dec. 8 Use an ovenproof frying pan which will hold all the potatoes in a single layer.
** The past tense would with temporal function.
†18.
a. Expressing a desire: desired to, wished to, wanted to, had a mind to (do something); often also implying intention. Cf. sense 7. Obsolete.After late Middle English, chiefly in subordinate clauses.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > wish or inclination > desire > wishing > [verb] > wished to
willeOE
eOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Parker) anno 755 Ymb xxxi wintra þæs þe he rice hæfde, he wolde adræfan anne ęþeling se was Cyneheard haten.
OE West Saxon Gospels: Luke (Corpus Cambr.) x. 29 He..wolde hine sylfne gerihtwisian.
?a1160 Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) (Peterborough contin.) anno 1132 Henri abbot..uureide þe muneces of Burch to þe king forþi ðat he uuolde underþeden ðat mynstre to Clunie.
c1425 (c1395) G. Chaucer Friar's Tale (Petworth) (1872) l. 1378 Ffeynyng a cause for he wold haue a bribe.
1526 Bible (Tyndale) John xvi. f. cxlvv Iesus perceaved, that they wolde axe hym.
1611 M. Smith in Bible (King James) Transl. Pref. ⁋2 Certaine, which would be counted pillars of the State.
1697 W. Dampier New Voy. around World x. 302 To assist us in getting as many dry Coco-nuts as we would have.
1808 W. Scott Marmion iv. i. 186 Till one, who would seem wisest, cried,—‘What else but evil could betide.’
1810 G. Crabbe Borough xiv. 197 He now would build—and lofty Seat he built.
1876 in Marchioness of Dufferin Canad. Jrnl. (1891) 291 They asked us if we would have tea, and as we ‘would’, they took us into an adjoining room.
b. Was about to. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
OE tr. Felix St. Guthlac (Vesp.) (1909) v. 135 Ða hit þa on mergen dagian wolde, þa asetton hi hine eft.
?a1300 Iacob & Iosep (Bodl.) (1916) l. 260 In þe bachuse him þuȝte þat he stod, Of bred he fulde a basket & to þe halle he wolde hit bere.
a1450 ( G. Chaucer Bk. Duchess (Tanner 346) (1871) l. 355 I herd þat hou þat þei would [c1450 Fairf. wolde] on huntyng gon.
a1500 (?c1450) Merlin xxv. 463 As the queene hem saugh she wiste well she was be-traied, and wolde crye as she that was sore affraied.
19.
a. Expressing response to another person's desire or requirement, or to an obligation or expectation of some kind: was (were) disposed, willing, or prepared to; consented to. In the negative, expressing refusal or unwillingness. †Also sometimes in early use: deigned to or condescended to (obsolete). Cf. sense 8.In affirmative use, chiefly in clauses subordinate to a main clause with a verb in the past tense.
ΚΠ
OE Ælfric Catholic Homilies: 2nd Ser. (Cambr. Gg.3.28) xxxix. 332 Ne bohton hi nænne ele, ne hi ne gemetton nænne ðe him ða ele syllan wolde.
lOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Bodl.) (2009) I. iii. 246 Sint þis nu þa god and þa edlean þe þu ealne weg gehete þam monnum þe þe heorsumian woldan?
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 5466 He nom..six wise cnihtes, to Custance heom sende & wilcumede hine to londe, & he seolf him wolden specken wið ȝef he him wolden ȝifuen grið.
a1425 (a1400) Prick of Conscience (Galba & Harl.) (1863) l. 6193 I thrested, and of drynk had nede, And yhe wald na drynk me bede.
1526 Bible (Tyndale) Luke xviii. f. cvj The publican stode afarre of, and wolde not lifte vp his eyes to heven.
1569 R. Grafton Chron. II. 764 He could not get away, and to keepe himselfe close he would not.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) i. ii. 268 This damn'd Witch Sycorax..was banish'd: for one thing she did They wold not take her life. View more context for this quotation
1623 J. Bingham tr. Xenophon Hist. 78 The Macrons asked..whether they would giue assurance of that they said; Who answered, they were readie to giue, & take assurance.
1748 T. Smollett Roderick Random II. lix. 250 There was a footman below with a letter, which he would deliver to no body but myself.
1802 W. Wordsworth Alice Fell 52 She wept, nor would be pacified.
1884 L. B. Walford Baby's Grandmother xii I said you would be all right in a few days if you would only hold on.
1918 Times Lit. Suppl. 21 Mar. Editors and publishers..would have none of it.
2013 New Yorker 11 Feb. 107/1 Eventually, he [sc. Galileo] and the Church came to an implicit understanding: if he would treat Copernicanism merely as a hypothesis, rather than as a truth about the world, it would be acceptable.
†b. In a subordinate clause after an expression of request, command, or entreaty, where the main verb is past. Cf. 8b. Obsolete.‘He begged that she would excuse it’ implies ‘I beg that you will excuse it’ (sense 8b).
ΚΠ
a1325 Statutes of Realm (2011) xlii. 110 [They] habbez bisouȝt vs, þat we hit [sc. the maletoute]wolden relessen.
1526 Bible (Tyndale) Acts ix. 38 They sent vnto hym, desyrynge him that he wolde not be greued to come vnto them.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) 1 Esdras ix. 40 They spake vnto Eszdras..yt he wolde brynge ye lawe of Moses.
1651 J. Musgrave Musgraves Musle Broken 10 Craister, Sewell, and Lanhorn, (the day before I came out of the Countrey) did earnestly intreat me that I would be their Solicitor at London.
1759 A. Butler Lives Saints IV. 994 It was her..prayer..that he would conduct her to a truly holy spiritual guide.
1813 R. Southey Life Nelson I. ii. 84 He requested the admiralty that they would not leave him to rust in indolence.
1855 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. IV. xx. 532 She..faltered out her commands that he would sit down.
1925 Boys' Life Jan. 51/1 I begged that he would deliver me his answer.
20. Expressing habitual or characteristic action: had the habit or characteristic of ——ing, had a way of ——ing; was accustomed to ——ing; used to. Cf. sense 10.Sometimes (as in quot. 1587) expressing repeated action at a particular time.
ΚΠ
eOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Otho) (2009) I. xxiii. 490 He meahte hearpian þæt se wudu wagode..for ðy swege, and wildu dior ðær woldon to irnan and stondan swilce hi tamu wæren.
OE Ælfric Lives of Saints (Julius) (1900) II. 132 He wolde æfter uhtsange oftost hine gebiddan.
c1300 St. Thomas Becket (Laud) l. 26 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 107 Ofte-siþe heo wolde speke with him.
a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) II. 540 Every day sir Palomydes wolde repreve sir Trystram of olde hate betwyxt them.
1587 T. Underdowne tr. Heliodorus Æthiop. Hist. (1895) vii. 184 So lay shee all that night..sometime would she rise up:..sometime would shee cast her cloathes almoste all from her.
1622 F. Bacon Hist. Raigne Henry VII 210 They would also ruffle with Iurors.
1653 R. Codrington Lloyd's Marrow of Hist. (new ed.) v. 40 The Athenians at any victory, would crown the Conqueror with a Garland made of Oken leaves.
1751 T. Gray Elegy xxvi. 10 There at the foot of yonder nodding beech..His listless length at noontide wou'd he stretch.
1847 W. M. Thackeray Vanity Fair (1848) xxi. 181 The girls would ask her..for a little music, and she would sing her three songs.
1915 W. Holt Beacon for Blind xxx. 307 He would often return home exhausted from his work, and when Mrs. Fawcett read to him he would frequently fall fast asleep.
1989 E. Mashinini Strikes have followed Me viii. 74 There came now this questioning time. There could be about four people, at times six people. At times I would stand, at times I would sit, and these people would take turns.
2019 A. Hoque Being Young, Male & Muslim in Luton i. 26 Parents would usually live with their children until they either got married and left.., or there was no more room left due to the number of grandchildren.
21. In indirect reported speech or thought, or its virtual equivalent, in statements in the second and third persons reporting an original statement (esp. of intention) in the first person: intended to, meant to; was going to. Cf. senses 12, 16.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > intention > intend [verb] > intend to do something
weenOE
willOE
thinkOE
tightc1300
to be (later also to have it) in purpose1340
tend1340
cast138.
reckona1450
aimc1450
willc1450
esteema1533
suspect1629
predeterminea1641
OE Blickling Homilies 183 Ic wæs heafde becorfen, & nu on þyssum þriddan dæge aras, swa ic ær beforan þe sægde & geheht þæt ic don wolde.
OE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Tiber. B.iv) anno 1066 Hi..sworon aðas þæt hi æfre woldon fryð & freondscype into þisan lande haldan.
c1330 (?a1300) Sir Tristrem (1886) l. 303 Tristrem herd it say, On his playing he wold Tventischilling to lay.
a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) l. 1336 Þe messangeres..mynged here message to þat mayde hende, how hir fader in helþe hom wold come..wiþ-inne þe fourtene-niȝt.
c1450 (c1350) Alexander & Dindimus (Bodl.) (1929) l. 45 He sikurede hem alle Þat he wolde fare wiþ his folk in a faire wise.
c1515 Ld. Berners tr. Bk. Duke Huon of Burdeux (1882–7) lxxxviii. 278 He commaundyd them to assamble as myche people as they coude, by cause he sayde that he wolde goo to his vncle themperour of Almayne.
1639 in Hamilton Papers (1880) 69 Thay all answered me that they wold keepe the castell.
1719 D. Defoe Farther Adventures Robinson Crusoe 233 He would go he said.
1836 C. Dickens Pickwick Papers (1837) i. 3 Was it some vain..man—he would not say haberdasher..who [etc.].
1871 M. Collins Marquis & Merchant III. xiii. 301 Adrian..resolved that they would have a jolly rough honeymoon..with everything simple and rustical.
1908 R. Bagot Anthony Cuthbert xxvi. 339 Anthony suggested to her that she and his sister should slip away unobserved. He himself would remain half-an-hour longer, and would then follow their example.
1967 A. Wilson No Laughing Matter ii. 153 Shouting as he went that he would bloody well never return.
2018 A. Stein Unbound Afterword 284 In August 2017, Trump announced that he would reverse a policy that enabled transgender individuals to serve openly in the military.
22.
a. Expressing past prediction of a future event in a subordinate clause or in virtual reported speech or thought. Cf. sense 14.Sometimes expressing a serious warning of the certainty of a future event.Occasionally in would have followed by the past participle, indicating an action or process already completed in the future, but (since the construction is mostly used when the outcome is not as expected) this use merges with the hypothetical use (sense 27).
(a) In the second and third person. Cf. shall v. 14b, 14e.
ΚΠ
eOE tr. Orosius Hist. (BL Add.) (1980) iii. ix. 70 Þa Darius geseah þæt he oferwunnen beon wolde, þa wolde he hiene selfne on ðæm gefeohte forspillan.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 689 Þatt seȝȝde he..forr þi. Þatt ta wass cumenn time. Þatt drihhtin wollde lesenn ut. Hiss follc off deofless walde.
c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) l. 7087 Þis child wax so wel & þeu as iseie fremde & sibbe Þat he wolde be a noble mon.
a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) III. 1176 I..tolde my brothir and my sonnes aforehonde what wolde falle on the ende.
1582 W. Allen Briefe Hist. Glorious Martyrdom sig. d1v This he protested to be true, as he would answer before God.
1586 in Eng. Hist. Rev. (1920) Jan. 113 The lorde chauncellor aunswered that diverse of the lordes had byn and woulde be..suitors unto her maiestie.
1651 Perfect Diurnall No. 106. 1541 Argile..hath not as yet been with the Lieut. Gen. as we expected he would have been before this time.
1663 in Extracts State Papers (Friends' Hist. Soc.) (1911) 2nd Ser. 183 Saying..that the time would come he should be found as good a subiect as myselfe.
1794 A. Radcliffe Myst. of Udolpho II. xii. 475 The planet..was not yet risen; but..she kept her eyes fixed on that part of the hemisphere, where it would rise.
1841 T. B. Macaulay Leigh Hunt in Ess. (1853) III. 38 He promised..to furnish them with a play every year, if his health would permit.
1872 J. Morley Voltaire i. 2 It disclosed to them a gracious,..being, who would one day redress all wrongs.
1918 Cornhill Mag. June 569 The Elizabethan's chief concern was that the present would soon merge in the past and be gone.
1947 D. M. Davin Gorse blooms Pale 204 With the Jerries rocking on their heels the way they were the odds were they'd have taken the count before he got back.
2010 Daily Tel. 23 Dec. 25/2 The hope that it would reach its destination sometime after Christmas.
(b) In the first person.Formerly used with the same restrictions as sense 14b, should being usual in standard British English. Cf. shall v. 14.In early use in the context of promises, where intention or purpose is implied.
ΚΠ
OE Ælfric Let. to Wulfgeat (Hatton) in B. Assmann Angelsächsische Homilien u. Heiligenleben (1889) 1 Wit nu her spræcon be ðam Engliscum gewritum,..and ic sæde, þæt ic wolde þe sum asendan git.
1415 in 43rd Ann. Rep. Deputy Keeper Public Rec. (1882) App. i. 590 in Parl. Papers (C. 3425) XXXVI. 1 Y saide hym that y wolde telle hym quat y harde hym ons saie in that mater.
1566 W. Adlington tr. Apuleius .XI. Bks. Golden Asse iii. xvii. f. 34 Least if from an Asse I should become a man, I might fal into the handes of the theeues, and either by suspition that I weare some Witche, or for feare that I would vtter their thefte, I should be slaine.
1611 T. Coryate Crudities sig. H4 They hoped that I would giue them some consideration to be carryed in a chaire to the toppe.
1768 H. Brooke Fool of Quality III. xvi. 179 The captain fearing that I would die of grief.
1870 G. W. Dasent Ann. Eventful Life xiv Of course my Aunt did not expect that I would be plucked in any examination.
1901 Empire Rev. 1 380 I..rejoiced in the fact that to get there I would have to travel to New York.
2012 B. Mutch Housemaid's Daughter xl. 276 Master never asks after his daughter, but then he never saw her when she was living here... I always said to myself that I would speak to him about the not-seeing.
b. Expressing past prediction of a contingent future event, or a result to be expected, in a supposed case or under particular conditions (with the condition expressed by a conditional or temporal clause, or implied): was bound to, was going to. Cf. sense 15a.
ΚΠ
eOE tr. Orosius Hist. (BL Add.) (1980) vi. xxxiii. 151 He hit hæl..wið his broðor, for þon he wiste þæt he hit on him wrecan wolde, gif he anfunde þæt he on oþran geleafan wære.
1759 B. Stillingfleet tr. C. Gedner Of Use of Curiosity in Misc. Tracts Nat. Hist. 154 No physician would have even suspected, that our milkwort would be usefull in the bite of serpents,..unless the principles of botany had led him to it.
1761 D. Hume Hist. Eng. II. xxxvi. 292 It was universally said that the Emperor..would verbally agree to any terms.
1885 Ornithologist & Oölogist 10 63/1 Called Mourning Dove by the natives who used to have a superstition that any one who molested their nest would be ‘mourned to death’ by the grief-stricken owners.
1906 Daily Chron. 19 Dec. 4/6 It was believed that he who was overlooked by it, or he who sent it away without a gift, would have no luck throughout the year.
2001 M. Blake 24 Karat Schmooze xxxi. 347 She thought of the old Chinese proverb that said if you stood by a river long enough, you'd see your enemy float past.
c. In the past, with personal subject (usually third person singular), expressing a voluntary act or choice in a supposed case, or a conditional promise or undertaking: was bound to, undertook to. Chiefly in asseverations (e.g. he swore that he'd be hanged if…). Cf. sense 15c.
ΚΠ
1788 Brit. Mercury (Hamburg) 9 June 321 They desired the ostler to bring another [sc. postchaise]. No, he'd be damned if he would, was the answer, not even for an Emperor.
1893 F. F. Moore I forbid Banns (1899) 149 He said he'd be hanged if he'd go to Madame Darius' squeeze—meaning this joyous entertainment.
1996 Observer 31 Mar. (Review section) 11/2 Mr Pissons's producer said that he would be damned if he would pay £45·23 for a common or garden black tie that he could buy in any branch of Marks & Spencer for a third of that amount.
d. Expressing the past likelihood of an action or fact with little or no future reference, as in would be ‘probably or presumably was’. Now usually in would have followed by the past participle. Cf. 15b.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > judgement or decision > evaluation, estimation, appraisal > estimate [verb (intransitive)] > is likely to be
willOE
will?1812
?1812 Jrnls. House of Lords anno 1812 48 725/2 When was that? About Half an Hour after I saw him in his Room. That would be about two Hours after you first saw him in the Cottage?
1857 E. C. Gaskell Life C. Brontë I. iv. 79 ‘Of the two younger ones..I have very slight recollections, save that one..was quite the pet nursling of the school.’ This last would be Emily.
1906 R. H. Benson Richard Raynal v. 91 It would be about half an hour before the King's dinner-time..that Master Richard came again to the hall.
1909 E. H. Burton Life Bp. Challoner I. ii. 12 The last of the Douay martyrs..had suffered but one year previously. Some of the priests living at Douay would have known this martyr personally.
2008 New Scientist 14 June 51/1 People in this region would have seen an entire black disc in front of the sun, blocking out 95 per cent of the sun's light—an unforgettable sight.
23. Expressing potentiality, capacity, or sufficiency: was capable of ——ing; could. Cf. sense 17.In affirmative use, usually in a relative clause.
ΚΠ
OE Beowulf (2008) 990 Æghwylc gecwæð þæt him heardra nan hrinan wolde iren ærgod þæt ðæs ahlæcan blodge beadufolme onberan wolde.
?a1300 Iacob & Iosep (Bodl.) (1916) l. 508 He [sc. Iosep] lette senden in cartes..Cloþes of skarlet..& alle prudene mest þat hi leden wolde.
c1405 (c1387–95) G. Chaucer Canterbury Tales Prol. (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 633 Ther nas..Ne oynement. that wolde clense and byte That hym myghte helpen.
a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) I. 151 Than he loked for the scawberde, but hit wold nat be founde.
a1500 (a1400) Sir Eglamour (Cambr.) (1844) l. 491 Ther was no knyfe that wolde hym byte, So harde of hyde was hee.
1678 J. Moxon Mech. Exercises I. iii. 45 The wheel..would not move perpendicularly, but wabble towards the Fore or Backsides of the Jack frame.
1750 B. Franklin Let. 23 Aug. in Wks. (1887) II. 206 I had..nailed against the wall of my house a pigeon-box that would hold six pair.
1889 N.Y. Times 31 July 8/2 Mr. Milburn showed a roll of film last night that would accommodate forty exposures.
1917 Black Cat Nov. 16/2 MacDonal, the chief engineer, had to stop the machinery because the wheels wouldn't go round properly.
1990 Which? Aug. 443/2 Keys which would fit only a limited number of locks.
2016 C. O'Neil Weapons Math Destr. ii. 47 My challenge was to design an algorithm that would distinguish window shoppers from buyers.
†24. Expressing voluntary action, or conscious intention directed to the doing of what is expressed by the principal verb: chose to, intended consciously or voluntarily to. Also in weakened sense, virtually equivalent to the past tense of the main verb. Cf. sense 9. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > time > relative time > the future or time to come > future [verb (intransitive)] > will or shall > expressing intention or volition
willOE
willOE
shallc1175
OE Guthlac A 470 Him god wolde æfter þrowinga þonc gegyldan þæt he martyrhad mode gelufade, sealde him snyttru on sefan gehygdum.
c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) l. 997 Of bodi was he mayden clene, Neuere yete in game, ne in grene, Þit [read Wit] hire ne wolde leyke ne lye.
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 969 And sarrai wuldet nogt ðolen, Ðat agar wore ðus to-bolen.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 6233 Qui wald [Gött. wild, Trin. Cambr. woldes] þou ledd vs o þat land?
?a1425 Mandeville's Trav. (Egerton) (1889) 1 (MED) In þat land he wald lede his lyf and suffer hard passioun.
a1500 (?c1450) Merlin i. 2 For to saue man he wolde come down in to erthe to be born of a woman.
1574 in A. Macdonald & J. Dennistoun Misc. Maitland Club (1833) I. 99 Thair wes tyme and place grantit, to all that wald appone thame thairto.
1615 Bp. J. Hall Imprese of God i, in Recoll. Treat. 658 In the Creation he could haue made all at once, but hee would take dayes for it.
a1629 W. Hinde Faithfull Remonstr. (1641) xlvii. 149 He shewed himselfe to be of that extraordinary strength, that if he would fold his hands together, no man could pull them asunder.
1680 T. Otway Orphan iii. 30 Why would you delay so long to give it?
1737 R. Challoner Catholick Christian Instructed xviii. 183 St. Francis would have his Religious for Humility called Friars Minors.
25. In emphatic use: was fully determined to; insisted on or persisted in ——ing. In early use with needs: see needs adv. 6a. Also with have followed by object and infinitive or that (see have v. 25b). Cf. senses 11a, 11b.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > decision > perseverance or persistence > persevere or persist in [verb (transitive)]
to stand in ——a1382
maintainc1385
willc1400
to stand fortha1425
to stick to ——1525
to tug out1631
worry1727
to stick out1833
to stick at ——1845
slog1846
stay1956
to chase up1958
c1400 Life St. Anne (Minn.) (1928) l. 356 (MED) Þai merualyd..How þat so ȝonge a chyld wald nedys Goddes werkes haue in welde.
1584 Copie of Let. conc. Erle of Leycester 43 My good Lord..would needes haue her taken vp againe and reburied.
1675 W. Wycherley Country-wife iii. i. 33 She desired not to come to London, I wou'd bring her.
1706 G. Farquhar Recruiting Officer Ep. Ded. Be it known..that it was my Act and Deed, or rather Mr. Durfey's; for he wou'd play his Third Night against the First of mine.
1836 C. Dickens Sketches by Boz 1st Ser. I. 22 Then he took to breeding silkworms, which he would bring in..to show the old lady.
1880 Ld. Tennyson Def. Lucknow vi. 12 Cholera, scurvy, and fever, the wound that would not be heal'd.
1918 L. D. Hirsch Man who Won xxxiv. 376 Mr. Clayton had become ruddy-colored, although Mrs. Clayton would have it that the apoplectic red and blue of her husband's face was due to the sun and wind.
1930 E. Waugh Vile Bodies ix. 150 There's our Lily now. You know how she would go in for being a manicurist.
1998 G. Phinn Other Side of Dale (1999) xxiv. 262 He would do things in his own way and as a result there was mayhem.
*** The past tense would with modal function.Where the notion of past time is to be expressed, this is often done by the use of have and the past participle instead of the infinitive (though sometimes this produces ambiguity); the temporal meaning may however be merely contextually implied, and in that case the past tense has the appearance of having both functions (temporal and modal) at once.
26.
a. Used with potential or conditional force to tone down the effect of the present tense in sense 7, and hence virtually equivalent to it: could or should wish to; should like to; wish, desire, or ‘want’ to (sometimes implying ‘intend’). Now chiefly with adverb or in would have with complement: see have v. 28.The concept of desire (in later use often passing into that of consent or willingness) is often emphasized by fain, gladly, willingly, etc.; this use is sometimes scarcely distinguishable from the strictly conditional use in sense 28: see also fain adv., gladly adv. 1a.
(a) would followed by the infinitive with present tense reference.Use without adverb and in the negative is archaic.
ΚΠ
OE Ælfric Catholic Homilies: 1st Ser. (Royal) (1997) xi. 266 Ic wolde eow trahtnian þis godspel þe man nu beforan eow rædde, ac ic ondræde þæt ge ne magon þa miclan deopnesse..understandan.
OE St. Euphrosyne (Julius) in W. W. Skeat Ælfric's Lives of Saints (1900) II. 348 Woldest þu spræcan wið anne broðor se com of þæs cynges hirede?
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 10374 Lauerd Arður þi grið we wolden speken þe wið.
1539 Bible (Great) Psalms cvii. 30 And so he bryngeth them vnto the hauen where they wolde be [1611 their desired hauen].
1549 R. Crowley Voyce Laste Trumpet sig. Bvii Thus haue I tolde the as I would Be told if I were in thy place.
1579–80 G. Harvey Let.-bk. in Wks. (1884) I. 76 I would gladly be acquainted with M. Drants Prosodye.
1600 W. Shakespeare Much Ado about Nothing ii. iii. 6 I know that, but I would haue thee hence and here againe. View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Two Gentlemen of Verona (1623) iii. i. 80 What would your Grace haue me to do in this? View more context for this quotation
1682 J. Dryden Medall Epist. Whigs sig. A3 If you were the Patriots you would seem, you would not at this rate incense the Multitude to assume it.
1713 A. Pope in Guardian 10 June Be sure they are Qualities which your Patron would be thought to have.
1742 S. Johnson Deb. Senate Lilliput in Gentleman's Mag. Nov. 569 What is to be understood by this last Sentence I would willingly be informed.
1869 E. A. Freeman Hist. Norman Conquest III. xii. 77 (note) I would not..be thought to share Mr. St. John's extreme scepticism.
1895 Bookman Oct. 17/2 The Duc d'Aumale's great work, ‘L'Histoire des Princes de Condé’, for which some of us would gladly give all the novels ever written.
1896 A. E. Housman Shropshire Lad lvi. 85 Far I hear the bugle blow To call me where I would not go.
1905 Athenæum 11 Feb. 172/3 Second-rate ‘romantism’, as Mr. Marion Crawford would have us call it.
1975 J. Lees-Milne Diary 12 Feb. in Through Wood & Dale (2001) 231 I would happily go on an expedition with him.
1992 R. E. Feist Magician (rev ed.) iv. 60 You may all leave us now. I would speak with the Squire.
2014 O. Frawley Flight v. 145 The newspapers and the television reports would have her believe that non-nationals in the country are alike.
†(b) would have followed by the past participle with past tense reference. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
lOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Bodl.) (2009) I. xx. 284 Mid hu micelan feo woldest þu þa habban geboht þæt ðu switole mihtest tocnawan [etc.]?
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 24560 Þai wald ha berid him ful fain, Bot i him held wit al mi main.
c1500 (?a1475) Assembly of Gods (1896) l. 1953 For feere I lookyd as blak as a coole, I wold haue cropyn in a mouse hoole.
1646 J. Gregory Notes & Observ. Script. 122 I would willingly have knowne how the Æthiopicke, Armenian, and Copticke Translations deale with the place.
†(c) would followed by the past participle (with omission of have) with past tense reference. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) Prol. l. 222 (MED) Clerkis..Besied hem and feythfully travaylled Agayn al that þat age wolde assaylled, In her bokes euery thyng I-set.
1508 W. Dunbar Goldyn Targe (Chepman & Myllar) in Poems (1998) I. 188 First of all..Come dame Beautee, rycht as scho wald me schent.
1578 J. Rolland Seuin Seages 93 Ȝe say he wald deforcit ȝour Quene.
1654 T. Gataker Disc. Apol. 38 Sir R. Owen would gladlie had me seated in Shropshire.
1686 T. Otway tr. S. de Broë Hist. Triumvirates II. iv. 478 She would willingly had Caesar partake in this piece of revenge.
b. In less assertive use: am (is, are) disposed or inclined to; often (in the first person singular) in tentative, polite, or deferential contexts with the sense ‘I wish to…if I may’. Cf. sense 16.Frequently in would say: see Phrases 5.would have (something to be the case): see have v. 25b and cf. sense 11a.
(a) would followed by the infinitive.
ΚΠ
OE Seven Sleepers (Julius) (1994) 49 Ic wolde georne æt ðe gewitan þissere byrig rihtnaman.
lOE St. Giles (Corpus Cambr. 303) (1980) 124 Hlaford fæder, get ic wolde biddan þe ane bene gif hit þin wille wære.
c1175 ( Homily: Hist. Holy Rood-tree (Bodl. 343) (1894) 6 Ic wolde beon ȝyrnende ȝif hit godes willæ wære, & ic hit wurðe wære þæt ic mid mine eaȝen iseon moste þæt þæt ic to þe wilniæn wolde.
c1325 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Calig.) l. 942 We wolde bidde þe þat þou vs som place ȝeue Þat were ampty In þine londe.
1467 in C. L. Kingsford Stonor Lett. & Papers (1919) I. 96 (MED) I wold pray yow..that ye woll se my pore howse for yowr logyng.
a1547 Earl of Surrey tr. Virgil Certain Bks. Aenæis (1557) ii. sig. Cii Percase yow wold ask what was Priams fate?
1552 T. Cooper Bibliotheca Eliotæ (rev. ed.) Ascyrum, the herbe, which of some is called Peter worte: other would haue it to be Tutson.
1779 Mirror No. 3. ⁋7 I would, nevertheless, humbly propose to the ladies, to be good-humoured.
1800 W. Wordsworth Hart-leap Well i. 96 But there is matter for a second rhyme, And I to this would add another tale.
1919 Eng. Hist. Rev. July 440 Working-men's colleges and institutes..are, the author would hope, built on a surer basis.
2007 Independent 4 July 32/5 I would suggest that Hollywood is not the only culprit in softening public opinion towards torture.
(b) would have followed by the past participle, expressing disagreement, especially in I would have thought.
ΚΠ
1932 W. Faulkner Light in August 34 I would have thought that maybe shooting dice would be the one thing he could do.
1996 A. Walker & P. Shipman Wisdom of Bones vii. 119 The ‘replacement’ of Australopithecus boisei..by Homo..is described as ‘the best-documented case of competitive exclusion’ in our lineage... I would have said this was the best-documented case of nonreplacement that strongly suggested no meaningful competition between the two species.
2004 H. Kennedy Just Law (2005) vii. 157 I would have thought governments might have learned from the poll tax not to use Scotland as a test bed for anything.
†c. figurative. Of a thing: needs or requires to, ought to, should. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
?1440 A. Paston in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) I. 26 Þe goune nedyth for to be had, and of coloure it wolde be a godely blew or erlys [read ellys] a bryghte sanggueyn.
?1523 J. Fitzherbert Bk. Husbandry f. xxxviiiv There is a bee is called a drone,..and they wyll eate the honny and gader nothynge, and therfore they wolde be kylde.
1598 tr. G. de Rosselli Epulario G j All fish would be very wel sodden, and with leisure.
1601 P. Holland tr. Pliny Hist. World I. xvi. xxxix. 488 To have good and profitable timber, the trees would bee cut downe that are of a middle age.
1604 W. Shakespeare Hamlet iii. iii. 75 That would be scand. View more context for this quotation
1626 F. Bacon Sylua Syluarum §625 The Conseruation of Fruit would be also tried in Vessells, filled with fine Sand.
1682 J. Evelyn Let. 19 Sept. in Diary & Corr. (1852) III. 270 Besides all this, the nature of prescription would be inquired into as well when it makes against us, as for us.
d. In the second person in a negative yes–no question, expressing a request, as in you wouldn't have a cigarette, would you?.
ΚΠ
1958 M. Wilk Cloud Seven i. vii. 23 You wouldn't have a yard of rubber tubing on you?
1978 J. Gardner Dancing Dodo xii. 83 ‘You wouldn't have a cigarette—’ Apologetic: embarrassed.
1997 J. Hynes Publish & Perish 209 You wouldn't happen to have a pen on you, would you?
27. In the main clause (apodosis) of a hypothetical proposition (expressed or implied), indicating that the supposition is a possibility or contingent or conditional upon something. Cf. sense 14.In this use, without implication of volition or intention.
a. In the second or third person.For the distinction between should and would see note at shall v. 19b(a).
(a) would followed by the infinitive with present tense reference.
ΚΠ
OE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Tiber. B.iv) anno 1052 Þæt wolde ðyncan wundorlic ælcum men.., gif ænig man ær þam sæde þæt hit swa gewurþan sceolde.
a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 31 Gef he þat hielde synne, he wolde þe dede wiðtien.
a1413 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (Pierpont Morgan) (1882) iii. l. 502 Þere was som Epistel hem by-twene That wolde as seyth myn Auctor wel contene Neigh half þis bok.
a1538 T. Starkey Dial. Pole & Lupset (1989) 49 Yf hyt were dylygently laburyd hyt wold bryng forth frute.
1597 W. Shakespeare Romeo & Juliet ii. i. 86 That which we call a Rose, By any other name would smell as sweet. View more context for this quotation
1670 in 12th Rep. Royal Comm. Hist. MSS (1890) App. v. 22 I am suere you would bee with us if wishes could bring you.
1755 J. Huxham in Philos. Trans. 1754 (Royal Soc.) 48 849 Perhaps some other salino-sulphureous medium would do as well.
1757 R. Griffith & E. Griffith Lett. Henry & Frances II. ccxxxiv. 161 There is a Butterfly in my Study, which would be dead some Time past, but that I watched it.
1859 J. Ruskin Two Paths iii. §96 Your stuffs need not be such as would catch the eye of a duchess.
1920 Act 10 & 11 George V c. 50 §22 (1) Any documents..such as would be subject to production in a court of law.
2006 N.Y. Times (National ed.) 5 Nov. iva 20/1 As they would explain if they had time.
(b) would have followed by the past participle with past tense reference.
ΚΠ
a1425 (c1300) Assumption of Virgin (BL Add.) (1901) l. 777 He..wolde haue ben at hure fyne, Ȝif he myȝt haue come bi tyme.
1484 in T. Thomson Acts Lords Auditors (1839) 147*/1 Pay to him samekle malis..& vþeris dewiteis as he may preif þe said landis walde have gevin him.
1578 J. Lyly Euphues f. 31v If thou haddest learned the first poynt of hauking thou wouldst haue learned to haue held fast.
1702 Clarendon's Hist. Rebellion I. i. 48 If he had not..been too much griev'd, and wrung by an uneasy and streight Fortune; he would have been an excellent man of business.
1845 M. Pattison in Christian Remembrancer Jan. 79 They would have refused their cooperation if they dared.
1902 V. Jacob Sheep-stealers xiv Had it been possible to teach him the rudiments of good manners, [he] would have been a really valuable member of the household.
2015 B. Stanley Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! (U.S. ed.) xxvii. 244 If anyone had to define glam in 1972, they would have described a new pop sound with a retro-futurist feel.
(c) would followed by the past participle (with omission of have) with past tense reference. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
c1475 (c1420) J. Page Siege of Rouen (Egerton) (1876) 20 For many one there dyde for colde That warmythe of howese savyd wolde.
1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. ccxi. 105/1 If..his cosyn had nat counsayled hym to haue peace, he wolde nat agreed thervnto.
1813 E. Picken Misc. Poems II. 135 That wad been milkin' his cow in a sieve.
1856 Presbyterian Q. Rev. (1857) June 171 If he had attempted it, he would been but a simpleton.
1884 ‘M. Twain’ Adventures Huckleberry Finn xvi S'pose you'd 'a' done right and give Jim up, would you felt better than what you do now?
b. In the first person.Frequently with such verbs as like, wish (cf. shall v. 19c), probably by association with sense 26; otherwise between the 17th and 20th centuries restricted in usage like the similar use of will, should being more usual except where should could be interpreted as having the meaning ‘ought to’. See also senses 14b, 22a(b).Also in would have followed by the past participle with past tense reference.
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1448 in S. A. Moore Lett. & Papers J. Shillingford (1871) i. 55 Elles we wolde truly to have had tyme.
a1477 in C. L. Kingsford Stonor Lett. & Papers (1919) II. 29 Y wolde be ago and ȝe werr y-come, for we may nat go yn-tyll ȝe come.
1561 T. Hoby tr. B. Castiglione Courtyer i. sig. E.iiiiv He that shoulde write, I would thinke he committed an errour in not vsing them.
1600 W. Shakespeare Much Ado about Nothing ii. iii. 113 I would haue thought her spirite had beene inuincible against all assaults of affection. View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Measure for Measure (1623) iv. ii. 16 I would bee glad to receiue some instruction. View more context for this quotation
1662 in Extracts State Papers (Friends' Hist. Soc.) (1911) 2nd Ser. 150 Wee would be glad that all our Subjects could be brought to agree in an uniforme Worship of God.
1734 W. Crawford Short Man. against Infidelity xxiii. 159 The more we view them, the more would we be satisfied of their Reality.
1780 S. Johnson Let. 24 Aug. (1992) III. 307 I would be glad to know when we are to meet.
1794 J. Hutton Diss. Philos. Light 15 The more..that we should reason upon such a mistaken principle, the more we would proceed in error.
1817 S. T. Coleridge Biogr. Lit. (1847) II. 223 He makes everything turn out exactly as we would wish it.
1887 C. A. Moloney Sketch Forestry W. Afr. 43 I would be disposed to question the accuracy of this information.
1921 Oxf. Mag. 4 Feb. 180/2 We feel that we would recognize them if we met them.
2002 Horse & Rider Sept. 91 I would have loved to win this thing one more time, but it just wasn't in the cards.
c. With the hypothetical notion obscured or weakened, becoming a qualification of the present tense expressing a degree of hesitation or uncertainty, as in it would seem ‘it almost or to some extent seems’, one would think ‘one is inclined to think’. Now frequently followed by be, in statements or questions of probability or approximation, as in the person you're describing would be my boss. Cf. sense 15b, and similar use of should (see shall v. 19d).
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c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 322 The first premisse of this argument muste needis be grauntid, as it wolde seeme.
1533 T. More Apologye 255 Men wolde haue went soneste to haue founde them.
1560 Bible (Geneva) Job xli. 32 He [sc. the Leviathan] maketh a path to shine after him; one wolde thinke the depth as an hore head.
1598 Floure & Leafe in T. Speght Wks. G. Chaucer f. 367/1 Euery boose of bridle and paitrell..was worth as I would wene A thousand pound.
1786 R. Burns Twa Dogs xi, in Poems 13 An' when they meet wi' sair disasters..Ye maist wad think, a wee touch langer, An' they maun starve o' cauld and hunger.
1807 Parl. Deb. 1st Ser. 8 809 1l. per cent. on that would be about equal to half the Malt Duty.
1853 A. Pratt Wild Flowers II. 75 This plant is not, as one would suppose from its name, a native of woods and meadows.
1882 W. Besant All Sorts of Men I. iv. 112 If it was only to see her own vats, you'd think she'd get off of her luxurious pillows for once.
1918 Pall Mall Gaz. 29 June 4/3 The standard suits..are steadily rising in price, and it would seem that by the time they are on the market they will come under the proposed luxury tax.
1921 G. B. Shaw Back to Methuselah ii. 83 That would be—let me see—five times three hundred and sixty-five is—um.
2013 G. Collins Basically xv. 198 ‘I'm still looking for my Mr Right.’ ‘So who would that be then?’
28.
a. In the main clause (apodosis) of a hypothetical proposition (expressed or implied), with personal subject, with implication of intention or volition: should choose or be willing to. Cf. senses 8, 9, 12.See also Phrases 7.
(a) would followed by the infinitive with present tense reference.
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OE Ælfric Lives of Saints (Julius) (1900) II. 370 Þa cwæð se Maximus to þam martyrum þus: Ic wolde eac forseon þisre worulde swæsnysse, gif ic wiste to gewissan þæt eowre word wæron soþe.
c1225 (?c1200) Sawles Warde (Bodl.) (1938) 14 Ich walde ȝef hit mahte beon þolien a þusent deaðes to arudden him ut þrof.
a1425 (c1333–52) L. Minot Poems (1914) 14 War mi sorow slaked sune wald I sing.
1602 W. Shakespeare Merry Wives of Windsor ii. i. 172 Should he loue my wife, I faith Ide turne her loose to him.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) v. i. 233 If I did thinke, Sir, I were well awake, I'ld striue to tell you. View more context for this quotation
1630 Bp. J. Hall Occas. Medit. §xlix I would rather never to haue light, then not to haue it alwayes.
1662 in Extracts State Papers (Friends' Hist. Soc.) (1911) 2nd Ser. 151 Let me by no meanes be continued sheriff..I would rather endure a Fine than be kept on another yeare.
1738 S. Johnson London 9 Who would leave, unbrib'd, Hibernia's Land?
1847 C. Dickens Dombey & Son (1848) xlii. 419 I wouldn't do such a thing here, Sir,..upon my word and honour, I wouldn't, Sir.
1868 H. A. Vaughan Let. in Lett. to Lady Herbert (1942) 169 If I had time wouldn't I write you a blowing up!
1920 Times Lit. Suppl. 29 Apr. 264/4 The main object of writers on Bolshevism, whether they would admit it or not, has been to justify or condemn Lenin's great experiment.
2001 C. Camp Winter Scandal 381 If you were any other man, I would call you out.
(b) would have followed by the past participle with past tense reference.
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a1439 J. Lydgate Fall of Princes (Bodl. 263) vii. l. 438 (MED) Yif..Catoun Hadde ageyn me..maad abraid, I wolde haue suffrid what-euere he hadde said.
1485 Malory's Morte Darthur (Caxton) viii. ii. sig. qjv She wold haue slayne the with that poyson and she myghte haue hadde her wille.
1526 Bible (Tyndale) Matt. xxiii. f. xxxiijv Howe often wolde I have gaddered thy children to gedder, as the henne gaddreth her chickens vnder her wynges? but ye wolde not.
1758 G. G. Beekman Let. 13 Mar. in Beekman Mercantile Papers (1956) I. 327 If One hundred pound Sterling would have discharged all his debts I would have paid it out of my Own pockit.
1893 Law Times 94 559 1 If I had had my way, I would have fought every one of these actions.
1988 D. Madden Birds of Innocent Wood iii. 60 She'd have married him too, if she could have managed it.
b. Originally: in a question in the second person, in wouldst thou…? ‘art thou willing to…?’. Later: as a toned down form of request, in would you…? ‘will you, please…?’. Cf. sense 8b.There may not be continuity of development between the two uses.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > speech > request > request or ask for [verb (transitive)] > expressing a request
willOE
willc1300
c1300 Life & Martyrdom Thomas Becket (Harl. 2277) (1845) l. 35 Woldestou [a1325 Corpus Cambr. Wostou]..Tholie deth for thi Louerdes love?
c1475 (a1400) Sir Amadace (Taylor) in J. Robson Three Early Eng. Metrical Romances (1842) 43 Quod the quite knyȝte, ‘Wold thou luffe him aure alle thing?’
1853 C. Dickens Bleak House xlv. 434 O if you please, miss, would you step and speak to Mr. Jarndyce!
1876 J. H. Ewing Six to Sixteen ii. 21 Would you say the Lord's Prayer for me, old fellow?
1945 K. Ferrier Let. 29 Feb. (2003) i. 24 Would you let me know if you pencil anything in for any Sunday in March 1946 so that I can let him know?
2003 J. Carroll Secret Father (2005) 267 They have my accounts book. Would you make them give me my accounts book back?
29.
a. In a conditional (or equivalent) clause originally and chiefly with a personal subject, with implication of intention or volition: chose to, was willing to. Cf. sense 28.Sometimes †with inversion of the subject and auxiliary and omission of if, as in would I have affected that course I could easily have been more voluminous (obsolete).
(a) would followed by the infinitive with present tense reference.
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OE Crist III 1106 Geseoð him to bealwe þæt him betst bicwom, þær hy hit to gode ongietan woldan.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 3105 Ȝif hit weoren þin i-wille and þu hit don woldest. to ȝifuen us an ende i þine kinne-londe. we wulleð þine men beon.
a1425 (c1333–52) L. Minot Poems (1914) 14 Wald he salue vs sone mi sorow suld slake.
c1450 (?a1400) Wars Alexander (Ashm.) l. 311 I be-seke þe,..if þou me say wald, Quatkyn fygour on fold or fourme at he beris.
1572 (a1500) Taill of Rauf Coilȝear (1882) 70 With thy thow wald be payit of sic as thow fand, Forsuith thow suld be wel-cum to pas hame with me.
1649 Bp. J. Hall Resol. & Decisions To Rdr. sig. A4 In the handling of all which, would I have affected that course..I could easily have been more voluminous.
1714 in Jrnl. Friends Hist. Soc. (1918) 30 Several Expressing their love to me—telling me would I stay I need not fear a congregation.
1865 J. Ruskin Sesame & Lilies ii. 189 She knows, in her heart, if she would only look for its knowledge, that [etc.].
1873 R. Browning Red Cotton Night-cap Country iv. 255 Would Providence..make me certain of the same, That I survive you..certainly I would accept Your bounty.
2015 Harvard Rev. 47 196 If we would only look up, we would see that soon it is going to rain.
(b) would have followed by the past participle with past tense reference. Now rare.
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1460 W. Worcester in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) II. 204 If I wolde haue labored the contrary, by my sowle..they had neuer be nygh my maister in that case they stonde nowe.
1594 in Publ. Catholic Rec. Soc. (1908) 5 293 He converted 5 or 6 felons in the short tyme he was in Newgate, whereof 2 or 3 might have beene reprieved from the gallows, if they would have denied what they had professed there.
1697 G. Whitehead Antidote Venome Snake in Grass ii. 96 No doubt..[Conscience] would..have prickt him..if he would have inclined his Mind to it for Counsel.
1840 S. Rodman Diary (1927) 211 This would have been done at an earlier period if he would have consented to it.
1878 J. P. Hopps Life Jesus x. 37 How would I have blest you if you would have suffered me!
2006 J. Miller & M. M. J. Fernandez-Vest in G. Bernini & M. L. Schwartz Pragmatic Organization Disc. Langs. Europe i. 45 Protasis clauses with would—I might have married her if she would have agreed—however, the interpretation is not ‘if she had agreed’ but ‘if she had been willing to agree’.
†b. With inversion of subject, expressing desire or longing: if only..would. Cf. sense 4c, Phrases 3. Obsolete.
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OE Ælfric Lives of Saints (Julius) (1881) I. 424 Wolde huru se earming hine sylfne beþencan, and his synna geandettan mid soðre behreowsunge.
?c1425 (c1412) T. Hoccleve De Regimine Principum (Royal 17 D.vi) (1860) 65 Wold honest dethe come, and me overterve.
1595 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 3 ii. i. 75 Now my soules pallace is become a prison. Oh would she breake from..my breast.
1786 R. Burns Poems & Songs (1968) I. 194 O wad some Pow'r the giftie gie us To see oursels as others see us!
†c. figurative. Of a thing: could, might. Cf. sense 17. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > ability > be able to [verb (intransitive)] > is or are able to or capable of
mayeOE
willeOE
willa1475
kin1875
a1475 (?1445) J. Lydgate Minor Poems (1911) i. 373 Sacred Cipriane, ȝif hit wold be gete, With Cosme and Damane wold I dyne.
a1500 (a1450) Generides (Trin. Cambr.) l. 214 And furthe he rideth..With his knyghtes to mete and it wold be.
30.
a. In a conditional clause expressing a hypothetical condition or supposition, without implication of intention or volition: were to, should. Cf. shall v. 20b. Now colloquial (chiefly U.S.).
(a) would followed by the infinitive with present tense reference, as in if it would be light I could see.
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OE tr. Theodulf of Orleans Capitula (Corpus Cambr.) xxvii. 345 Ure Drihten cwæð þæt þam men nawiht ne forstode, þeah he ealne middaneard gestrinde, gif he his sawle forleosan wolde.
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 114 Ha woneð under þe chirche as to under stipen hire ȝef ha walde fallen.
a1413 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (Pierpont Morgan) (1881) ii. l. 1147 To deth mot I be smet with þonder If..Wold I a lettre vn-to yow brynge or take To harm of yow.
1527 L. Andrewe tr. H. Brunschwig Vertuose Boke Distyllacyon sig. biijv Than make fyre vnder it that it may droppe tretably as yf ye wolde tell ye clocke i. ii. yt than there fall a drop.
1575 J. Rolland Treat. Court Venus ii. f. 17v Wald Venus court retreit, cast or conuert, Or in sum part thairin mak resistence.
1668 J. Howe Blessednesse of Righteous xx. 388 Heaven were a poor Heaven, if it would not make us savers.
1854 Philadelphia Jrnl. Homœopathy 2 605 That variola virus, transferred from human to kine, if it would not become the genuine cow-pox, would, nevertheless, become so modified as to answer all the purposes of the genuine.
1926 E. M. Roberts Time of Man 291 If it would be light I could see a far piece I know.
2000 New Vision (Kampala) June 11/4 If I had money on me then, even if it would be budgeted for something else, I would honestly chop off some to give to these young crusaders of integrity.
(b) would have followed by the past participle with past tense reference, as in if I would have only known it.
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1543 Chron. J. Hardyng f. cvv Richard might..asaued hymself if he would afled awaie.
1589 R. Lane in R. Hakluyt Princ. Navigations iii. 739 And if it would haue fallen out conueniently, in the way I woulde haue raised my sayd sconse vpon some corne fielde.
1882 ‘Ouida’ In Maremma I. 197 If it would only have rained, how welcome it would have been.
1916 Fur News Dec. 7 If I woulda only know'd it, that blamed old mink was hidin' right behind me.
1994 Bowhunting World Feb. 39/3 Lookit that. You couldn't have killed him deader if you would have used a 7mm!
2007 J. Wedding Manor of Disposition xxx. 170 If everything would have gone smoothly from the beginning of the deal between he and Terranova, none of this would have ever happened.
†b. After as if (also as in same sense): were about to, should. Cf. shall v. 20a. Obsolete.In quot. OE after swylce (such conj.) in same sense.
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OE Wærferð tr. Gregory Dialogues (Corpus Cambr.) (1900) iii. xvi. 213 Mycel stanclif..swa hlifiende, swylce hit feallan wolde ofer sancte Martines cytan.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 344 Bi þone toppe he hine nom al-swa he hine walde of-slean.
a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) l. 45 Þe barn..wept euere as it wolde a-wede for fere.
1532 Romaunt Rose in Wks. G. Chaucer f. cxxixv/2 Her eeres shoken faste withall As from her heed they wolde fall.
1568 in J. Small Poems W. Dunbar (1893) II. 308 Sum drowpis down as he wold die.
1719 D. Defoe Life Robinson Crusoe 245 At this I..made as if I would vomit at the Thoughts of it.
1889 R. L. Stevenson Master of Ballantrae i. 14 The woman had another stone ready, which she made as if she would cast.
1993 V. Sage Mirror for Larks 331 The earrings..filigreed balls hanging from great curved hooks of brass which looked as if they would tear off the earlobes at any minute.
31. In a hypothetical question or indirect statement in the second or third person (where should was formerly usual in the corresponding direct statement in the first person: see shall v. 19): could possibly, might possibly.In yes-no questions and reported utterances varying with should, as will with shall: cf. note at shall v. 8. In rhetorical questions implying emphatic assertion (e.g. Who would have thought it?) should is not normally used.Would you believe it?: see believe v. Phrases 2b.
ΚΠ
OE Ælfric Old Eng. Hexateuch: Gen. (Claud.) xxi. 7 Hwa wolde gelyfan þæt Sarra lecgan sceolde cild to hyre breoste to gesoce on ylde?
a1382 Bible (Wycliffite, E.V.) (Bodl. 959) (1965) Job xxvi. 4 Whom woldist þou techen? wheþer not hym þat made space of breþyng?
c1390 (?c1350) St. Ambrose l. 883 in C. Horstmann Sammlung Altengl. Legenden (1878) 22 (MED) Whi woldust þou nouht..Knowleche þi presumcioun?
1532 (c1385) Usk's Test. Loue in Wks. G. Chaucer iii. f. ccclviiv What woldest thou demen if a man wold yeue thre quarters of nobles of golde..?
1582 T. Bentley et al. Monument of Matrones iii. 291 Who would not haue beene confounded, & haue gotten him awaie at these thy words?
a1616 W. Shakespeare Merry Wives of Windsor (1623) ii. i. 9 You loue sacke, and so do I: would you desire better simpathie? View more context for this quotation
1654 D. Osborne Lett. (1888) 229 What think you, have I not done fair for once, would you wish a longer letter?
1775 S. Johnson Let. 1 June (1992) II. 215 Tell me what you would be most willing to spare.
1779 Mirror No. 12. ⁋8 Would you believe it, Sir, my daughter Elizabeth..said it was fanatical to find fault with card-playing on Sunday.
1785 J. Trusler Mod. Times III. 81 Should you like any thing up stairs, or would you prefer it in the kitchen?
1861 T. L. Peacock Gryll Grange xxix. 253 Do you think..you would find many examples of love that is one, and once for all?
1863 C. Dickens Uncommerc. Traveller in All Year Round 4 July 447/1 Would you mind my asking you what part of the country you come from?
1868 C. Thirlwall Let. 26 Oct. (1881) I. 299 If you would like to see it I could send it you.
1950 A. White Lost Traveller (1993) iv. iv. 180 Would you believe it, I saw her with my own eyes polishing the buttons of his tunic?
2004 G. Woodward I'll go to Bed at Noon xi. 198 Would you mind keeping the noise down?
32.
a. In a noun clause (frequently introduced by that) dependent on expressions of desire, advice, or request. Now rare except after wish.Usually with a person as subject, implying that voluntary action is required or expected; often distinguished from should, which may be used when the person's will is not considered. Also (usually after wish) with a thing as subject, in which case should (suggesting command or compulsion) is not usual. Cf. shall v. 22a.
ΚΠ
eOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Otho) (2009) I. ix. 423 Þy [ic nat] hwelce dysige ge girnað þæt ge woldo [n] eowerne naman tobrædan geond ealle eorþan.
?a1425 (c1400) Mandeville's Trav. (Titus C.xvi) (1919) 210 (MED) I preye to all the rederes..þat þei wolde preyen to god for me.
c1550 J. Cheke Let. in Athenæum 28 Aug. (1909) 237/2 I would rather that you would of yourself, unproved and unrecommended, do..well.
1555 R. Pole Let. 20 Dec. in Eng. Hist. Rev. (1913) July 530 I wold my syster wold a taryed a littell longer.
1600 W. Shakespeare Midsummer Night's Dream i. i. 195 O that your frowns would teach my smiles such skil. View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Cymbeline (1623) ii. iv. 6 Quake in the present winters state, and wish That warmer dayes would come. View more context for this quotation
1685 in Eng. Hist. Rev. (1920) Jan. 116 His Lordship desires you would present his most humble duty to my Lord Duke.
1736 T. Sheridan Let. 15 Sept. in J. Swift et al. Lett. (1768) VI. 169 Indeed if you pleased,..I would rather that you would, I mean should, charge only five per cent.
1796 F. Burney Camilla III. v. viii. 125 I told him, the last time, I had rather he would not ask me so often.
1832 Ld. Tennyson New Year's Eve iv, in Poems (new ed.) 96 I wish the snow would melt.
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. I. iv. 465 The general wish of Europe was that James would govern in conformity with law and with public opinion.
1912 Eng. Hist. Rev. Oct. 754 It is much to be wished that some one would clear up the tangled web of these peace negotiations.
2019 @jaymiddleton1 13 Apr. in twitter.com (accessed 20 Apr. 2019) I wish summer would hurry up. My bones are cold.
b. In other kinds of noun clause, where should is more usual (see shall v. 22).
ΚΠ
eOE tr. Orosius Hist. (BL Add.) (1980) ii. v. 45 Ða Perse..ondredon þæt mon þa brycge forwyrcan wolde.., þæt hie siþþan nysten hu hie þonan comen [L. ne sibi reditus interrupto ponte Histri fluminis negaretur].
a1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (St. John's Cambr.) (1879) VII. 33 A good man..may drede þat me wolde doo to hemself as he seeþ þat me doþ to oþere.
c1390 King of Tars (Vernon) l. 398 in Englische Studien (1889) 11 43 Ac heo ne durste him not smyte, For drede, leste he wolde hire byte [c1330 Auch. þat he wald hir bite].
1632 J. Porter Flowers of Lives of Renowned Saincts 377 For his part he feared lest he would be torne in peeces by the Londoners.
1766 S. Pennington Lett. II. x. 198 I choose rather you would carry it yourself.
1769 H. Brooke Fool of Quality IV. xvii. 267 I should be sorry..that the wretch would die in his present state of reprobacy.
1771 O. Goldsmith Hist. Eng. III. 312 It was intended that this would encrease the severity of his punishment.
1813 Parl. Deb. 1st Ser. 26 249 He could not but regret that the House would not have the benefit of those talents in the further discussions that might take place on the Bill.
1990 Rail 12 July 13/2 It was intended that the station would provide a park and ride facility for the whole of the Vale.
33. colloquial. Used to make a comment about behaviour, or a feature, that is typical: could naturally or inevitably be expected to.Often in elliptical use: cf. quot. 1963 at sense 38b.
ΚΠ
1902 W. Lescher St. Dominic & Rosary ii. 46 It is objected that the Will contains an extravagant genealogy; the very thing a medieval Will would contain.
1919 ‘C. Dane’ Legend 43 One never knew what Madala would do next, and yet when she'd done it, one said—‘Of course! Just what Madala would do!’
2003 C. Birch Turn again Home iii. 41 ‘I bet no one even noticed,’ Lucy said. Well, she would say that, wouldn't she?
III. With ellipsis of the dependent infinitive clause.
* The present tense will.Corresponding in meaning to any of the senses in Branch II.*
34. With verb of motion understood. Now chiefly in murder will out, the truth will out (see out adv. 4c(a)). Now archaic.
ΚΠ
OE Beowulf (2008) 318 Ic to sæ wille.
OE Paris Psalter (1932) c. 1 Soð ongyte on unwemmum wege, hwænne þu me wylle to [L. quando uenies ad me].
a1250 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Titus) (1963) 7 Hund wile in at open dure. þer man him ne wernes.
a1400 tr. Lanfranc Sci. Cirurgie (Ashm.) (1894) 163 (MED) If a candel þat brenneþ..be putt al in oile..þe fier þerof wole out.
?1533 W. Tyndale Expos. Mathew v. f. xviij Who so euer will to heauen.
?1550 H. Llwyd tr. Pope John XXI Treasury of Healthe sig. X.viv Geue ther of to the woundyd partye asmuche therof..as wil into an egges shell.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) iii. i. 95 Ile to my booke. View more context for this quotation
1647 J. Trapp Comm. Epist. & Rev. (2 Cor. xii. 20) They will on in sinne to their utter ruine.
1718 Entertainer No. 25. 167 Nothing will down with these Zealots but a preaching Ministry.
1816 W. Scott Antiquary III. xiii. 275 He that will to Cupar maun to Cupar.
1825 W. Scott Betrothed xiv, in Tales Crusaders II. 299 ‘Thither will I then,’ said the Constable.
1885 R. Bridges Eros & Psyche vi. xviii. 73 I will to thee o'er the stream afloat.
1989 Time Out 18 Oct. 35/3 Talent will invariably not ‘out’ without either private means, luck or enlightened subsidy.
2000 Time 20 Nov. 71/3 Media critics have long argued that networks should not call races until all polls have closed to avoid affecting turnout. It's a moot argument: information will out.
35.
a. With implied infinitive taken from the context (usually a preceding clause). Also occasionally used without implying a particular verb.In quot. a1774 with ellipsis of passive infinitive.
ΚΠ
eOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Otho) (2009) I. iv. 392 Cunna swa þu wille.
a1225 MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 77 We..habbeð ou iseið twa uers and wule nuþe þet þridde.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 4095 ‘Fader’, he said, ‘i will ful fayn, þi bod i aght noght to stand agayn.’
1485 Malory's Morte Darthur (Caxton) i. xxiii. sig. cijv Who is greued with my custome, lete hym amende hit that wol, I wil amende it said Arthur.
1549 Bk. Common Prayer (STC 16267) Matrimonie f. xiii*v Wilte thou haue this woman to thy wedded wife..?.. I will.
1564 T. Becon New Catech. in Wks. 495 Therfore ought suche as be godly learned to trauaile with heretikes & to conuince them, not with fire & fagot, with swerde & halter, or with lawe will I.
1599 ‘T. Cutwode’ Caltha Poetarum (Roxb.) xlii That which will, will bee.
a1633 G. Herbert Jacula Prudentum in Wks. (1857) 306 Marry your son when you will; your daughter when you can.
1692 J. Dryden Cleomenes iii. iii. 36 Cratif... Think not on us. Cleom. I wonnot.
1736 A. Hill Zara Epil. A Woman Will, or Won't—depend on 't.
a1774 O. Goldsmith Surv. Exper. Philos. (1776) II. 145 The air's force is compounded of its swiftness and density, and as these are encreased, so will the force of the wind.
1820 J. Keats Isabella in Lamia & Other Poems 51 I may not speak, And yet I will, and tell my love all plain.
1836 C. Dickens Sketches by Boz 1st Ser. II. 314 ‘Will you go on deck?’ ‘No, I will not.’ This was said with a most determined air.
1866 J. Ruskin Let. 10 May in Wks. (1905) XVIII. Introd. p. xxxix I hope it may do you some good, as it won't me.
1885 ‘Mrs. Alexander’ Valerie's Fate vi ‘Do you know that all the people in the house will think it very shocking of me to walk with you?’.. ‘The deuce they will!’
1956 M. Dickens Angel in Corner (1960) 71 You may bring me a small glass too, if you will.
2001 D. Sherman & D. Cragg Hangfire 246 You get me out of here and I'll marry you, goddamned straight I will!
b. With so or that representing the infinitive phrase. Now regional (chiefly Scottish and Irish English).Quot. OE shows comparable use of the past tense.
ΚΠ
OE Genesis A (1931) 2833 Ða Abraham Abimelehe wære sealde þæt he wolde swa.]
?a1300 Dame Sirith l. 439 in G. H. McKnight Middle Eng. Humorous Tales (1913) 20 Goddot so I wille.
c1300 (c1250) Floris & Blauncheflur (Cambr.) (1966) l. 359 Grante him þat þu wilt so, And tak mid..amoreȝe suche two.
c1422 T. Hoccleve Tale of Jerelaus (Durh.) l. 535 in Minor Poems (1970) i. 159 Thow helpe me maist... If thow wilt so in this necessitee, Gold and siluer wole I thee yeue ynow.
c1450 (a1400) Chevalere Assigne l. 260 in W. H. French & C. B. Hale Middle Eng. Metrical Romances (1930) 869 ‘A, boy,’ quod she, ‘wylt þou so? þou shalt sone myskarye.’
1549 Bk. Common Prayer (STC 16267) Confirmacion f. x* Question. Dooest thou not thinke that thou arte bound to beleue, and to doe as they haue promised for thee? Aunswere. Yes verely. And by Gods helpe so I wil.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Taming of Shrew (1623) i. ii. 216 Hor. I promist we would..beare his charge of wooing... Gremio. And so we wil . View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Coriolanus (1623) ii. iii. 254 Brut. Repaire toth' Capitoll. All. We will so. View more context for this quotation
1900 F. P. Dunne in Westm. Gaz. 13 June 1/3 ‘They'll be out here nex' week’... ‘They will that’, Mr. Dooley replied.
1943 T. Harrisson et al. Mass Observ. Pub & People (2009) vi. 188 Keep away from t'women—Aye, ah will that, Ah've getten to that age when Ah can turn me back on um.
1998 A. O'Hanlon Talk of Town (1999) i. i. 12 ‘Are you sure you won't have one?’ ‘I will so.’
c. In a qualifying clause introduced by a relative word, equivalent to a clause introduced by an indefinite relative in -ever, often with a thing as subject and having roughly the sense of may, as in shout as loud as you will ‘however loud you (choose to) shout’, be that as it will ‘however that may be’. See also come what will at come v. 13b.
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1439 in I. S. Leadam & J. F. Baldwin Select Cases King's Council 1243–1482 (1918) 105* Complaine as yo wole y defie thi manasing.
1597 W. Shakespeare Romeo & Juliet i. v. 36 Tis since the mariage of Lucentio, Come Pentecost as quicklie as it will, Some fiue and twentie yeares. View more context for this quotation
1598 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 1 i. ii. 143 Well, come what wil, ile tarrie at home. View more context for this quotation
1604 W. Shakespeare Hamlet v. ii. 11 Ther's a diuinity that shapes our ends, Rough hew them how we will . View more context for this quotation
1635 Earl of Manchester Al Mondo: Contemplatio Mortis (rev. ed.) 186 Let his condition here civilly be what it will, it will not content him.
1733 A. Pope Of Use of Riches 9 The ruling Passion, be it what it will, The ruling Passion conquers Reason still.
1827 W. Scott Two Drovers in Chron. Canongate 1st Ser. I. xiii. 294 The drovers usually sleep along with their cattle, let the weather be what it will.
1862 J. Ruskin Unto this Last iv. 118 Think what you will of it,..the value of the thing itself is neither greater nor less.
2015 T. Nelson Year we sailed Sun 344 Think what you will of her—I know she's not well-liked among the girls.
36. In a disjunctive qualifying clause or phrase (usually parenthetic) expressing alternative options, as in whether he will or not. Formerly also in whether he will or no, will he or not, will he will he not (with or omitted).will he nill he: see Phrases 1 and willy-nilly adv. and adj.In some cases perhaps intransitive uses of Branch I.In quot. 1592: will or no (with pronoun omitted) ‘one way or another’, ‘in any case’.
ΚΠ
a1375 (c1350) William of Palerne (1867) l. 4263 Alle þe men vpon molde ne mowe it nouȝt lette, þat þat ilke kud kniȝt..nel com..&..þis reaume..destrye; &, wheþer þou wolt or non wenne [perhaps read winne] þe with strengþe.
c1425 tr. J. Arderne Treat. Fistula (Sloane 6) (1910) 101 (MED) He schal slepe alsone, wille he wil he noȝt.
1568 T. Hacket tr. A. Thevet New Found Worlde xiv. f. 21v They floote aboue water, will they or not, and by this meanes they are taken.
1581 A. Hall tr. Homer 10 Bks. Iliades i. 12 They Bryseis fetche away, whether she wil or no Out of my Tent.
1592 N. Breton Pilgrimage to Paradise 67 Fortune? shee skornde, friendes? who durst be a foe? Seruants? a worlde, would serue her will or no.
1668 N. Culpeper & A. Cole tr. T. Bartholin Anat. (new ed.) ii. vi. 106 It were contrary to the Majesty of the principal Part, to be moved by another whether it will or no.
1906 L. L. Bell Carolina Lee 38 You'll have to go on being a millionairess, whether you will or no.
2015 Notes 71 713/2 Whether it will or not, Whittall's commitment to his subject and evident belief in its importance convey the tone this kind of a Cambridge Companion would do well to strike more consistently.
** The past tense would with temporal function.
37. Corresponding in meaning to any of the senses in Branch II.**.
a. With implied infinitive taken from the context (usually a preceding clause). Often in disjunctive qualifying clauses (e.g. whether he would or not); see also would I yea or no at yea adv. and n. Phrases 2.†In quot. c1460 wold nat ‘was of no avail’.
ΚΠ
OE Blickling Homilies 79 Titus..þæt eal for Godes wræce fordyde, & [the Romans] þæt land gesetton swa hie sylfe woldon.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 9389 Wi naldest þu me suggen. þurh nanes cunnes þinge þat þu wældest [c1300 Otho woldest] to þan kinge.
c1400 (c1378) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Laud 581) (1869) B. x. l. 127 Al was as þow wolde [c1400 Trin. Cambr. B.15.17 woldest] lorde, yworschiped be þow.
c1460 (?c1400) Tale of Beryn l. 1082 Fawnus saw it wold nat.
1483 ( tr. G. Deguileville Pilgrimage of Soul (Caxton) (1859) ii. lx. 57 And I nought but abyl for to suffre, whether I wold, or no.
1569 R. Grafton Chron. II. 28 Anselme might not..correct his clergie but as the king would.
1603 R. Knolles Gen. Hist. Turkes 174 Would he, would he not, they made choice for him themselues.
1624 J. Smith Gen. Hist. Virginia (1895) II. iii. vi. 432 They cryed to vs to doe no more, all should be as we would.
1719 D. Defoe Farther Adventures Robinson Crusoe 233 The Captain told me, he would go and help his Men, let what would come.
1837 C. Dickens Pickwick Papers xxxiv. 379 Look where you would, some exquisite form glided gracefully through the throng.
1849 T. B. Macaulay Hist. Eng. II. vi. 102 It was determined that the elector should have a chapel in the city whether he would or not.
1882 ‘L. Keith’ Alasnam's Lady xxvii I wanted Mr. Meyers to come with us, but he wouldn't.
1920 Discovery Nov. 331/1 The bulbs were then sealed up again and set aside to ferment if they would.
2015 T. I. Stone Every Last Word 219 I start to panic. I said too much. I knew I would.
†b. With verb of motion understood. Obsolete (archaic in later use).
ΚΠ
eOE King Ælfred tr. Gregory Pastoral Care (Hatton) (1871) iii. 35 Ða he him from wolde, ða gefeng he hine.
c1300 St. Christopher (Laud) l. 79 in C. Horstmann Early S.-Eng. Legendary (1887) 273 Ȝwane any man wolde ouer þat watur.
c1330 Sir Orfeo (Auch.) (1966) l. 296 Neuer he nist whider þai wold.
1530 W. Tyndale Pract. Prelates sig. Hij After that the Emperoure wolde in to Spayne.
1593 M. Drayton Idea viii. sig. J3v Would she ought or would she nought, This lad would neuer from her thought.
1867 W. Morris Life & Death of Jason v. 91 When on the morn they would away.
*** The past tense would with modal function.
38. Corresponding in meaning to any of the senses in Branch II.***
†a. With verb of motion or change understood. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
OE Ælfric Old Eng. Hexateuch: Gen. (Claud.) xviii.16 Ða arison þa ðry weras, & ða þanon eodon, swylce hi woldon to ðære byrig Sodoma.
lOE Anglo-Saxon Chron. (Laud) anno 1046 Gewendon heom þa swylce hi woldon to ðam cynge.
c1400 (?a1387) W. Langland Piers Plowman (Huntington HM 137) (1873) C. viii. l. 286 Wist ich þe soþe, Ich wolde no forþer a fot for no freres prechinge.
a1413 (c1385) G. Chaucer Troilus & Criseyde (Pierpont Morgan) (1882) iii. l. 115 And Pandare wep as he to watre wolde.
1597 W. Shakespeare Richard II v. iii. 17 He would vnto the stews, And from the commonst creature plucke a gloue, And weare it as a fauour.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Two Gentlemen of Verona (1623) iv. iii. 22 I would to Valentine To Mantua, where I heare, he makes aboad. View more context for this quotation
b. With implied infinitive taken from the context (usually a preceding clause).
ΚΠ
lOE tr. Honorius Augustodunensis Elucidarium in R. D.-N. Warner Early Eng. Homilies (1917) 142 For þan God gyfð þan gode mannen mihte..þæt heo geletten þa lyðere mænn, þæt heom ne onhagige ofer þan goden to yfeligen eall þæt heo wolden.
a1225 (?c1175) Poema Morale (Lamb.) l. 35 in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 161 Þe wel ne deð þe hwile he mai ne scal..wenne he walde.
a1393 J. Gower Confessio Amantis (Fairf.) i. l. 1268 Thogh I wolde, I myhte noght Obeie unto my ladi heste.
c1500 (?a1437) Kingis Quair (1939) clxvii It stant noght with the as thou wald, perchance?
1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. John x. 15–18 Yet could thei not kyll me vnlesse I would my selfe.
1556 J. Olde tr. R. Gwalther Antichrist f. 120v Is it the propretie of a shephearde, to renne madde upon his flocke, worse than a wolfe wolde?
a1616 W. Shakespeare Macbeth (1623) i. vii. 44 Letting I dare not, wait vpon I would . View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) ii. i. 187 Gon. You would lift the Moone out of her spheare, if she would continue in it fiue weekes without changing. Seb. We would so, and then go a Bat-fowling. View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) iii. i. 61 Fer. I am, in my condition A Prince (Miranda) I do thinke a King (I would not so). View more context for this quotation
1781 R. B. Sheridan Trip to Scarborough iii. iv It's well I have a husband a-coming, or ecod I'd marry the baker, I would so.
1847 C. Dickens Dombey & Son (1848) xlii. 419 I wouldn't do such a thing here, Sir,..upon my word and honour, I wouldn't, Sir, I wish I may die if I would, Sir.
1865 J. Ruskin Sesame & Lilies i. 42 Do not think Milton uses those three words to fill up his verse, as a loose writer would.
1926 C. Mackenzie Rogues & Vagabonds 268 ‘He always pushes me out.’ ‘He would.’
1963 Times 1 July 6/6 Mr. Burge asked: Do you know Lord Astor has made a statement to the police saying that these allegations of yours are absolutely untrue? Miss Rice-Davies: He would, wouldn't he?
2005 P. Taylor Now & in Hour of our Death (2015) xxxviii. 299 I'd be quare pleased to see him again, so I would.
IV. Special uses of the past participle as an auxiliary verb.
†39. Forming the perfect with have: chosen to. Cf. sense 9. Obsolete.Mostly in elliptical use in subordinate (especially conditional) clauses, as in if he had would.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > free will > choice or choosing > exercise choice [verb (intransitive)]
choosec1175
walec1400
willc1405
to be one's own carver1578
to take one's choice1588
optate1611
c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Melibeus (Hengwrt) (2003) §34 Right so as oure lord hath wold, right so it is doon, yblessed be the name of oure lord.
c1430 (c1386) G. Chaucer Legend Good Women (Cambr. Gg.4.27) (1879) l. 1209 The fomy brydil..Gouernyth he ryght as hym self hath wold.
a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) I. 316 Many tymes he myght have had hir and he had wolde.
1583 A. Golding tr. J. Calvin Serm. on Deuteronomie clxxxiv. 1145 Not that hee was vnable to let them, or withstande them, if hee had would.
1633 J. Done tr. ‘Aristeas’ Aunc. Hist. Septuagint 216 If hee had would, hee might easily..occupied the Monarchy.
40. U.S. regional (southern). Following a modal verb (chiefly might). might would (also may would): would possibly, maybe would, could perhaps, as in I might would have preferred to do so. Such constructions are often referred to as ‘double modals’ and in some analyses would is regarded as the finite past tense: see can v.1 24.
ΚΠ
1928 J. M. Peterkin Scarlet Sister Mary xiii. 138 De fire is most too hot for Unex, Auntie. I'm 'faid e might would catch cold.
1972 E. Wigginton Foxfire Bk. 384 They had th' mule's foot tied up, pulled up tied 'cause Doc's afraid it'd kick him—might would, I guess.
1994 Amer. Speech 69 17 I thought y'all may would have had some more of them in by now.
1995 W. B. Sherden Not Silent People (rev. ed.) Pref. vii While I might would have preferred to revise some of the original chapters, I thought it best to leave them essentially as first written.
2010 K. C. Hobbs Money Basics for Everyday People vi. 31 Let's say you work in a hospital, well you might would like to invest in a mutual fund that invests in healthcare companies.

Phrases

P1. In collocation with nill v. in senses 2a, 7 – 9, in clauses indicating that the same situation applies under conditions of both willingness and unwillingness.See also will v.2 Phrases 1a, Phrases 1b. [Compare the Latin parallels mentioned at willy-nilly adv.]
†a. whether he (etc.) will or nill: whether he (etc.) will or not; willingly or unwillingly; voluntarily or compulsorily. Similarly who(ever) will or nill and after let (see quot. 1651 at Phrases 1a(a)).In Old English with other coordinating conjunctions, but cf. occasional use with oððe or (see other conj.) at Phrases 1b(a)(i).Later superseded by the inverted form in Phrases 1b.
(a) In present tense. Obsolete (archaic in later use).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > necessity > [adverb] > whether one will or not
would…nouldOE
whether he (etc.) will or nillOE
will I (or) nill I (he, they, etc.)OE
maugre1340
nill he, will hea1400
who(ever) will or nillc1449
bongre maugrec1450
whether‥yea or no (also nay)1515
nolens volens1547
willing or nilling1578
volens nolens1602
willy-nilly1608
nilling, willing1657
nilly-willy1662
bon gré mal gré1818
wilta shalta1824
william-nilliam1907
OE tr. Bede Eccl. Hist. (Corpus Oxf.) v. ix. 412 Saga him; swa he wille swa he nelle [eOE Tanner swa he welle swa he ne wille], he sceall to Columban mynstre cuman.
lOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Bodl.) (2009) I. xxxiv. 329 We sceolon beon nede geþafan, sam we willan sam we nyllan, þæt he sie se hehsta hrof eallra goda.
c1330 (?c1300) Speculum Guy (Auch.) (1898) l. 272 Hij..Þat wolden her god [emended in ed. to here her god] forsake..sholen in-to helle, Wheiþer þeih wolen, or þeih nelle.
c1449 R. Pecock Repressor (1860) 428 And ȝit, who euere wole or nyle, Holi Scripture wole that preesthode and dekenhode be had and vsid.
1565 T. Harding Confut. Apol. Church of Eng. f. 275 Truth is truth, and God is God, whether any Councell will or nill.
1575 J. Rolland Treat. Court Venus iv. f. 57v Now sall he sit..Quha will, quha Nill, in till ane deip dungeoun.
1651 N. Bacon Contin. Hist. Disc. Govt. 239 They do what they list, let the Plebeian Presbyter wil or nill.
1873 T. Cooper Paradise of Martyrs iii. 111 Each thing.., whether it will or nill, The eternal purpose..Doth..fulfil.
(b) In past tense. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
c1405 (c1390) G. Chaucer Man of Law's Tale (Hengwrt) (2003) l. 819 He sholde Hir lemman be wher so she wolde or nolde.
a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) II. 1003 Elils had there bene mortall warre uppon the morne; natwithstondynge she wolde none other, whether they wolde or nolde.
1543 ( Chron. J. Hardyng (1812) 298 He..theim compelled..To become his men..whether they wold or nolde.
b.
(a) With inversion of subject (usually a pronoun) and chiefly (and in later use only) without conjunctions, in will I (or) nill I (he, they, etc.). Also occasionally in vague sense: one way or another, in any case, anyhow.Now chiefly in the reduced form willy-nilly adv.
(i) In present tense. Now rare and archaic.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > necessity > [adverb] > whether one will or not
would…nouldOE
whether he (etc.) will or nillOE
will I (or) nill I (he, they, etc.)OE
maugre1340
nill he, will hea1400
who(ever) will or nillc1449
bongre maugrec1450
whether‥yea or no (also nay)1515
nolens volens1547
willing or nilling1578
volens nolens1602
willy-nilly1608
nilling, willing1657
nilly-willy1662
bon gré mal gré1818
wilta shalta1824
william-nilliam1907
OE Ælfric Lives of Saints (Julius) (1881) I. 344 We synd synfulle and sceolan beon eadmode, wille we, nelle we, and he wolde sylfwilles us syllan ða bysne.
OE tr. Defensor Liber Scintillarum (1969) ii. 24 Qui enim bona mundi diligit uelit uel nolit timoris et doloris poenae succumbit : se þe soðlice godu middaneardes lufað welle he oþþe nelle eges & sares wite underhnihð.
c1225 (?c1200) Hali Meiðhad (Bodl.) (1940) l. 434 Wullen ha nullen ha.
?c1335 in W. Heuser Kildare-Gedichte (1904) 105 For wolny nulni hi sul fle.
c1425 (c1400) Laud Troy-bk. l. 17560 (MED) Wil thow nele thow—the pees schal be!
a1544 H. Latimer Let. in J. Foxe Actes & Monuments (1563) 1324/2 If my Lorde wyll needes..inuade my inwarde manne, wyll I nyll I.
?1545 J. Bale 2nd Pt. Image Both Churches ii. sig. Q Will she nyll shee, nedes must she abyde hys..sentence.
1565 T. Harding Confut. Apol. Church of Eng. ii. f. 117 Well, how so euer it be, will ye nill ye..ye be dryuen to confesse the same to be no newe thing.
a1566 R. Edwards Damon & Pithias (1571) sig. Giv Wyl I or nil I, it must be done.
1567 J. Jewel Def. Apol. Churche Eng. 715 God is able (..wil the Councelles, nil the Councelles) to maintaine..his owne Kingedome.
1599 J. Sylvester tr. J. Du Nesme Miracle Peace in Fraunce 17 A sacred rage..Will-nill-I, raps me boldly to rehearse Great Henries Trophies.
1600 P. Holland tr. Livy Rom. Hist. iii. 108 The Nobles were so neere driven and to such streights, that will they, nill they, yeeld they must thereto.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Taming of Shrew (1623) ii. i. 265 Will you, nill you, I will marry you. View more context for this quotation
1647 J. Booker in W. Lilly Christian Astrol. sig. (c) Be you for or against, or will ye, nill ye; I'm for the Art, and th' Author William Lilly.
1753 T. Gray Long Story in Six Poems 19 Will he, nill he, to the Great-house He went, as if the Devil drove him.
1899 G. Douglas James Hogg iii. 68 The galloping movement of the metre hurries us, will-we nill-we, on.
2006 Analog Sci. Fiction & Fact May 105/2 Create a disturbance as a ruse, then effect an entrance will they or nill they.
(ii) In past tense, in would…nould…. Now rare and archaic.The present form is normally used even when the principal verb is in the past tense (see quots. 1600, 1753 at Phrases 1b(a)(i)).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > necessity > [adverb] > whether one will or not
would…nouldOE
whether he (etc.) will or nillOE
will I (or) nill I (he, they, etc.)OE
maugre1340
nill he, will hea1400
who(ever) will or nillc1449
bongre maugrec1450
whether‥yea or no (also nay)1515
nolens volens1547
willing or nilling1578
volens nolens1602
willy-nilly1608
nilling, willing1657
nilly-willy1662
bon gré mal gré1818
wilta shalta1824
william-nilliam1907
OE Ælfric Catholic Homilies: 2nd Ser. (Cambr. Gg.3.28) xxiv. 225 Se brym hwoðerode under his fotswaðum, ac swa ðeah he hine bær, wolde he, nolde he.
a1225 (?OE) MS Lamb. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1868) 1st Ser. 7 Summe hit sungen þurh þene halie gast walden heo naldden heo.
?a1400 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Petyt) (1996) i. l. 13219 Þe Romeyns.., wild þei ne wold [a1450 Lamb. wold ho, ne wolde], fled.
1596 T. Danett in tr. P. de Commynes Hist. Ep. Ded. sig. A2 So that would I nould I to the presse the booke must go.
1819 W. Scott Bride of Lammermoor xi, in Tales of my Landlord 3rd Ser. II. 248 ‘You were rather obliged to the old lord, I think,’ said Ravenswood. ‘Was I? my sartie! first for bringing me into jeopardy, would I nould I.’
1889 A. H. Wratislaw tr. Sixty Folk-tales 65 The good prince—would he, nould he—was obliged to put some of the leaden dumplings into his pocket.
1946 A. . Mackenzie Sc. Pageant I. 175 He brought all the great men of Scotland under his leadership, would they or nould they.
†(b) With omission of subject, in will (or) nill. willing (or) nilling: see willing adv. Obsolete (archaic in later use).
ΚΠ
1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene i. iii. sig. C7v And will or nill, Beares her away.
1614 A. Gorges tr. Lucan Pharsalia v. 187 For will, or nill, powre them constraines.
a1783 H. Brooke Imposter (1789) iii. iv. 50 Only to earn The guilt, but not the issue of our purpose. For will or nill, the same effect subscribes The over-ruling dictate.
a1916 J. Payne Last Infirmity in Way of Winepress (1920) 10 Here but the cypress and the yew upraise Their plumes funereal in the wind-swept ways. With these I must content me, will or nill.
P2. Proverb. he that will not when he may, when he will he shall not and variants: cf. nay n. 2b.
ΚΠ
OE tr. Alcuin De Virtutibus et Vitiis (Tiber.) in Archiv f. das Studium der Neueren Sprachen (1909) 122 259 Þæt he to Gode gecyrre þa hwile þe he mæge, þe læs, gif he nu nelle þa hwile þe he mæge, eft þonne he late wille, þæt he ne mæge [lOE Vesp. eft þone he wyle, he ne mæig; L. ne si, dum potest, noluerit, omnino cum tarde voluerit, non possit].
a1400 (c1303) R. Mannyng Handlyng Synne (Harl.) l. 4796 He þat wyl nat whan he may, He shal nat, when he wyl.
c1425 (c1400) Laud Troy-bk. l. 5903 He that wil not whan he may, when he wolde, he getis it noght.
1639 J. Clarke Paroemiologia 237 He that may and will not, when he would he shall not.
1880 M. Oliphant (title) He that will not when he may.
1958 B. Pym Glass of Blessings xi. 136 ‘It was a rather pretty little box, just the kind of thing you like.’.. ‘I know,’ I said. ‘If you will not when you may, when you will you shall have nay.’
P3. would God (also God would, Christ would): expressing earnest desire or longing, with dependent clause; ‘O that God would’, ‘O that it were God's will’. Similarly would the gods. Obsolete (archaic in later use).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > wish or inclination > desire > wishing > wish [phrase]
Christ wouldeOE
God wouldeOE
lief I were1297
to hope (also wish, etc.) to Christa1375
to wish to Godc1385
willc1460
would to God (also Heaven)c1460
goodness1623
eOE Metres of Boethius (partly from transcript of damaged MS) viii. 39 Eala, þær hit wurde, oðþe wolde God, þæt on eorðan nu ussa tida..wæren æghwæs swelce.
c1330 (?c1300) Guy of Warwick (Auch.) l. 6868 Now wold god..Þat he were here in mi beylie!
1372 in C. Brown Relig. Lyrics 14th Cent. (1924) 76 (MED) Wolde god i were worþi His blisful sone to bere.
c1400 ( Canticum Creatione l. 66 in C. Horstmann Sammlung Altengl. Legenden (1878) 125 Wolde god ded y wore!
a1500 in Anglia (1910) 33 367 Chryst wolt the ffuger of here swete face were pyctored where euer I dwell.
?1530 J. Rastell Pastyme of People sig. Aiv Wold good it were so vsyd at this day.
1678 Lively Orac. iv. §27. 292 Would God none but the Romanist were impeachable of this detention of Scripture.
1890 E. Dowson Let. 14 Mar. (1967) 142 Would the gods it were over.
1898 T. Hardy Wessex Poems 227 Would God it came to pass My heart had shrunk as thin!
P4.
†a. to will well that: to be willing that. Obsolete. [Compare Anglo-Norman voler , Old French, Middle French voloir (French vouloir ) in sense ‘to agree’ (12th cent; see voulu adj.), and also Middle French voloir bien in the same sense (French vouloir bien).]
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > wish or inclination > wish or be disposed or inclined [verb]
willeOE
listc1200
to be of (also in) (a) minda1325
to will well that1340
likea1375
to find in one's hearta1393
to have a minda1400
pleasec1450
set1470
to have a mind1530
care1560
fadge1592
please1611
choose1622
offer1639
to feel like1808
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 117 We wylleþ wel þet we by yuonded..uor we byeþ þe more ymylded..and þe more worþ, an þe more asayd.
1483 W. Caxton tr. J. de Voragine Golden Legende f. clxvj/1 I wyl wel that thou say, & yf thou say ony good, thou shalt be pesybly herde.
†b. I will well: I assent, I should certainly think so. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > statement > assent > [phrase]
I will wella1470
I should think (suppose, etc.)?a1475
a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) I. 34 ‘I truste in God myne hurte ys none suche but som of them may sore repente thys.’ ‘I wol welle,’ seyde kynge Arthure, ‘for I se youre dedys full actuall.’
a1470 T. Malory Morte Darthur (Winch. Coll. 13) (1990) I. 165 ‘Yondir is a knyght... Lette hit be putt uppon hym, and as he demeth hit, so shall hit be.’ ‘I woll well [1485 Caxton wylle wel],’ seyde the knyght.
1511 H. Watson tr. Noble Hist. King Ponthus (new ed.) sig. I.iiv Fayre syster I wyll well sayd he.
P5. would say: intend to say, mean. Cf. sense 26b.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > intelligibility > meaning > mean [verb (transitive)]
meaneOE
beholdc1175
spele?c1225
bemeana1300
amountc1300
willa1382
import1425
employ1528
intend?c1530
would say1564
understand1617
spella1661
1564 T. Harding Answere to Iuelles Chalenge xviii. f. 172 What you would saye M. Iuell, I wote not, what you saye, well I wote.
1633 G. Herbert Temple: Sacred Poems 52 When I thought to sleep out all these faults..I found that some had stuff'd the bed with thoughts, I would say thorns.
1663 S. Butler Hudibras: First Pt. i. i. 33 I would say eye, for h' had but one.
1704 T. Staynoe Salvation by Jesus Christ Alone II. vii. 179 They are capable of feeling (I would say sensing) the Execution of the Punishment pronounced upon them.
1891 Harper's Mag. Jan. 220/1 I would say that Mr. Pettingill has behaved very strangely—sending for a herb doctor.
1910 J. Conrad Let. Sept. in A. Ingram Joseph Conrad: Sel. Lit. Crit. (1986) 80 Generally I would say that your prose, full of merits as it is, wants ‘stringing up’.
2017 ‘C. Lauren’ Autoboyography x. 174 I would say my parents are more agnostic at this point.
P6. if you will: (used parenthetically to qualify a word or phrase) if you wish or prefer it to be so called, if you are willing to call it so (now often used to excuse an unexpected way of describing something).
ΚΠ
1592 A. Day Eng. Secretorie (rev. ed.) i. sig. H4v Let vs consider if you will in seuerall.
1696 W. Whiston New Theory of Earth iv. 218 Gravity..depends entirely on the constant and efficacious, and, if you will, the supernatural and miraculous Influence of Almighty God.
1777 H. L. Thrale Let. 18 Sept. in Lett. to & from S. Johnson (1788) I. 264 A yew hedge, or an eugh hedge if you will.
1876 J. Ruskin St. Mark's Rest vii. §78 Very savage! monstrous! if you will.
1892 A. Jessopp Stud. Recluse (1893) Pref. 15 I do not call these stray papers Essays, but mere Studies—fumblings if you will.
1989 S. Gould Wonderful Life (1991) 93 When you split a rock to find a fossil, you get two for the price of one—the fossil itself..and the impression of the organism forced into layers above..thumb and thumbprint, if you will.
2017 C. Spence Gastrophysics iii. 40 A growing number of us are actively seeking out images of food—a kind of ‘digital foraging,’ if you will.
P7. colloquial. I would (originally with ‘if I were you’ implied): I advise or recommend you to; = I should (do so and so) at shall v. 19f. Similarly I wouldn't: I advise you not to.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > judgement or decision > advice > [phrase] > I advise you to
I woulda1616
a1616 W. Shakespeare Two Gentlemen of Verona (1623) iii. i. 110 I would resort to her by night. View more context for this quotation
1835 T. Arnold Let. 18 May in A. P. Stanley Life & Corr. T. Arnold (1898) I. vii. 360 If possible, I would take a Strabo with me, and an Herodotus.
1860 J. D. Hooker Let. 28 Dec. in C. Darwin Corr. (1993) VIII. 537 Your notes about the little Compos. are very interesting indeed—I would certainly send them to G. C. which will woodcut the illustration.
1953 A. Ginsberg Let. 13 May (2008) 89 I wouldn't come on too campy though, that'll lessen its chances of publication... Make it manly or something.
2012 T. Richmond Well of Gold vi. 101 He warned, ‘I would be careful about approaching the natives. They're still using blow guns where you're going.’
2015 Nanaimo (Brit. Columbia) Daily News (Nexis) 11 Feb. a 6 ‘I wouldn't count on that,’ federal Justice Minister Peter MacKay told The Canadian Press..when asked whether invoking the notwithstanding clause is under consideration.
P8. will you? (in later use also would you?): appended to a request in order to soften it or to a command in order to strengthen it.
ΚΠ
1821 W. Scott Pirate III. xii. 279 Stopper your jaw, Dick, will you?
1839 C. Dickens Nicholas Nickleby v. 35 Just fill that mug up with lukewarm water, William, will you?
1961 J. Heller Catch-22 (1962) xl. 414 Then stop picking on me, will you? Get off my back, will you?
2011 S. Sahota Ours are Streets 296 Next time you decide to go off on one of your little adventures, let me know first, will you?
2017 K. Shamsie Home Fire vii. 203 I'll need it when I come to visit you. Put it in my purse, would you? I don't want to have to go up to the spidery attic to find it when you're gone.
P9. Australian and New Zealand slang. wouldn't it?: an exclamation of annoyance and disgust or (less usually) amusement. Now rare.Perhaps originally elliptical for wouldn't it rip you! at rip v.1 Phrases 3 (although this is first recorded slightly later), or a similar catchphrase.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > suffering > state of annoyance or vexation > exclamation of annoyance [interjection]
peste1768
botheration1787
bother it!1798
for Pete's sake1903
for the love of Pete1903
hell's teeth1909
zut1915
wouldn't it?1940
1940 Telegraph (Sydney) 13 Jan. 4/7 Favorite expression with the troops is, of course, ‘Wouldn't it?’—Short for ‘Wouldn't it make you sick?’
1941 N.Z.E.F. Times (2nd N.Z. Expeditionary Force) 3 Nov. 6 Well, wouldn't it?
1951 D. Cusack & F. James Come in Spinner 382 Guinea kicked a hassock across the room. ‘Wouldn't it!’ she muttered furiously, ‘wouldn't it!’
1972 J. O'Grady It's your Shout, Mate! 14 The barmaid's sigh was greatly exaggerated. She said to the audience, ‘Wouldn't it? It's just not my day.’
1988 D. McGill Dict. Kiwi Slang 125 Wouldn't it! exclamation of disgust or exasperation; eg ‘Wouldn't it make you spit tacks!’
P10. colloquial will do: (with omission of I) an expression of willingness to carry out a request. Cf. wilco int.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > wish or inclination > willingness > [interjection]
wilco1946
will do1946
1946 F. Hamann Air Words 56 Willco, will comply; will do.
1954 W. Tucker Wild Talent xvi. 216 ‘Bring my gate pass. Bureau drawer, top’... ‘Will do.’
1981 A. M. Stein Body for Buddy ix. 176 ‘Let me know.’ ‘Will do,’ I said.
2005 Z. Smith On Beauty 151 ‘Jack, call me later if you need anything.’ ‘Will do, Liddy.’
P11. if God will, will God: see god n. and int. Phrases 1a(d)(i). God willing: see god n. and int. Phrases 1a(d)(ii). I wouldn't know: see know v. Phrases 41. well, I'll be: see well adv. and n.4 Phrases 6b.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2021; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

willv.2

Brit. /wɪl/, U.S. /wɪl/
Forms:

α. Old English willian, Middle English wille, Middle English willie, Middle English–1500s wyll, Middle English–1600s wil, 1500s wylle, 1500s– will; also Scottish pre-1700 vill, pre-1700 wel, pre-1700 wil.

β. (3rd singular present indicative) early Middle English wulled (south-west midlands), Middle English welethe, Middle English woleþ (south-west midlands), Middle English wolleþ (south-west midlands), Middle English wollit (south-western); (past participle) Middle English iwollyd (south-western).

Origin: Of multiple origins. Partly a word inherited from Germanic. Partly formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: will n.1
Etymology: Cognate with Old High German willōn to comply (Middle High German, German willen ) < the same Germanic base as will n.1 In later use (from the 14th cent.) chiefly re-formed < will n.1; rare in early Middle English. Compare will v.1In Old English a weak verb of Class II, as in Old High German. In some forms, especially in senses 1 and 3, the word can be difficult to distinguish from forms of will v.1, and perhaps sometimes arises by levelling of regular inflection to forms of will v.1 Compare the β. forms, which either show this word, with stem vowel influenced by will v.1 (compare Forms 2c(i)β. , γ. , δ. and Forms 7 at that entry), or which could alternatively be interpreted as rare instances of regular inflection of will v.1 Compare also Forms 5a(i)ε. and 5c(i)ε. at will v.1, where some instances could alternatively be interpreted as past tense forms of this word. However, in other uses will v.2 is clearly distinguished from will v.1; compare the early collocation of the two verbs attested in quot. eOE at sense 2a. Middle English evidence is less likely to show continuation of the inherited Class II verb, as forms showing -y suffix2 are very rarely found outside copies of materials of Old English composition, with the rare instances usually admitting of alternative explanations (compare quots. a1275 and 1340 at sense 1a, which probably show errors for wilne v., since -y suffix2 is not expected in the 3rd singular present indicative). Compare also the following instance, formally showing the past tense of this word, while found in a construction not otherwise attested for will v.2 but paralleled at wilne v. (see sense b at that entry):a1200 MS Trin. Cambr. in R. Morris Old Eng. Homilies (1873) 2nd Ser. 35 His ofspring al þrowude on synne..and on swiche unhelðe willeden [altered from wisseden] georne efter helende.The word was already in early use perhaps influenced by wilne v. (also a weak verb of Class II); compare the variant readings in quots. lOE, c1425 at sense 1a. Prefixed form. In Old English a prefixed form gewillian is also attested in the sense ‘to desire’ (compare y- prefix and also i-will n.). Compare Old Saxon giwillion, Old High German giwillōn to satisfy.
†1.
a. transitive. To wish for, desire, want (some state of affairs, usually for someone's benefit or the reverse); sometimes also with implication of intention; = will v.1 1, 2a, 7. Obsolete (archaic in later use).In Old English frequently with the state of affairs desired in the genitive.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > intention > intend [verb (transitive)]
willeOE
meaneOE
minteOE
i-muntec1000
thinkOE
ettlea1200
intenta1300
meanc1330
forn-castc1374
intendc1374
ettlea1400
drive1425
proposec1425
purpose1433
attend1455
suppose1474
pretend1477
mindc1478
minda1513
pretence1565
appurpose1569
to drive at ——1574
thought to1578
hight1579
pretent1587
fore-intend1622
pre-intend1647
design1655
study1663
contemplate1794
purport1803
the mind > will > wish or inclination > desire > [verb (transitive)]
willeOE
wilnec897
desirec1230
catcha1350
appetec1385
appetitec1385
to wait after ——1393
to set (also have, keep, turn) one's mind onc1450
list1545
exopt1548
to have a mind1553
desiderate1646
lust1653
to have eyes for1657
like1685
want1698
choose1766
to be stuck on1878
eOE (Mercian) Vespasian Psalter (1965) xxxiii. 12 (13) Quis est homo qui uult uitam, et cupit uidere dies bonos : hwelc is mon se wile lif & willað gesian dægas gode?
OE Wærferð tr. Gregory Dialogues (Corpus Cambr.) (1900) iv. xl. 325 Ða ongan he cwacian & blacian & swætan & mid miclum stefnum cleopian & willian fyrstmearce.
lOE King Ælfred tr. Boethius De Consol. Philos. (Bodl.) (2009) I. xl. 371 Þi ne sceolde nan wis man willian [eOE Otho wilnian] seftes lifes.
a1275 St. Margaret (Trin. Cambr.) l. 52 in A. S. M. Clark Seint Maregrete & Body & Soul (Ph.D. diss., Univ. of Michigan) (1972) 19 He williet [perhaps read wilnet] þe to wiue.
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 142 Herte þet þis heþ a-sayd naȝt ne willieþ [perhaps read wilneþ] more þanne uor to by..uoryete to þe wordle.
c1425 (c1300) Chron. Robert of Gloucester (Harl.) 12 He by gan to loue Brut so muche..Þat he wyllede [c1325 Calig. wilnede, c1450 Cambr. Univ. willed], mest of alle þynge, to hym enlyance.
c1450 MS Douce 52 in Festschrift zum XII. Neuphilologentage (1906) 44 He þat a lytul me ȝeuyth, to me wyllyth [L. optat] longe lyffe.
1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. Matt. v. 21–4 Who so euer hath gotten to hymselfe the charitie of the gospell, whyche wylleth wel to them that wylleth yll.
1581 A. Hall tr. Homer 10 Bks. Iliades v. 87 By Mineruas helpe, who willes you all the ill she may.
a1677 I. Barrow Of Contentm. (1685) 259 Two things he willeth, that we should be good, and that we should be happy.
1875 Ld. Tennyson Queen Mary i. iv. 26 A great party in the state Wills me to wed her.
b. transitive. Perhaps: to assert, affirm; = will v.1 2c. Obsolete. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > statement > assertion or affirmation > [verb (transitive)]
vowc1330
anferme1340
affirma1382
willa1382
threapc1386
avow1393
to make oneself strongc1425
maintain?c1430
protest1440
traverse1491
assure1509
ferma1525
verc1540
profess1542
enforce1579
justify1579
aver1582
to take on1583
asserta1604
will1614
assevera1618
positive1656
autume1661
declare1709
obtesta1722
predicate1782
asseveratea1847
1614 J. Selden Titles of Honor i. vii. 134 None of this excludes Vnction before, but only wils him the first annointed by the Pope.
2.
a. transitive. To direct by one's will or testament (that something be done). Formerly also with object and infinitive.In quot. eOE to be interpreted as a contextual use of sense 1a. Cf. later will n.1 10a.
ΚΠ
eOE (Kentish) Will of Ealdorman Ælfred (Sawyer 1508) in N. P. Brooks & S. E. Kelly Charters of Christ Church Canterbury, Pt. 2 (2013) 810 Ic Ælfred willio & wille þæt hio sion soðfęstlice forðweard getrymed me & minum ęrfeweardum.
?a1400 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Petyt) (1996) ii. l. 760 At Wynchestre he lies, so himself willed.
a1513 R. Fabyan New Cronycles Eng. & Fraunce (1516) II. f. clxxxxviv Robert Chycheley..wylled in his Testament that vpon his mynde day a good & Competent Dyner shuld be ordeyned for .xxiiii. C. poore men.
1590 E. Spenser Faerie Queene ii. x. sig. X8v So to his crowne she him restord againe, In which he dyde, made ripe for death by eld, And after wild, it should to her remaine.
1634 H. Peacham Compl. Gentleman (new ed.) xv. 193 Willing his body to be buried in the Cathedrall Church of Rochester.
1642 tr. J. Perkins Profitable Bk. viii. §547. 237 If a man willeth, that his lands shall be sold for payment of his debts.
1881 M. E. Herbert Edith vii It was a simple walking funeral, as he had wished and willed it should be.
1983 J. Lake Great Fire Nantwich 59 Roger Mainwaring willed that his tomb was to be built at the upper end of the high chancel, on the north east side of the revestry door.
2008 Islamic Law & Society 15 196 She willed that the first beneficiary be her granddaughter Zumurrub, then her descendants.
b.
(a) transitive. To dispose of (land, property, etc.) by a will; to bequeath or devise.In quot. 1521 as a variant of the more usual opening formula in an early modern will ‘I bequeath my soul to God Almighty’.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > transfer of property > testamentary disposition > bequeath by will [verb (transitive)]
leaveOE
bequeath1066
queatha1325
let1340
dowc1374
bequest1394
wit1394
devise1395
give1420
willc1460
test1491
legacy1546
legate1546
league1623
legatee1797
c1460 in A. Clark Eng. Reg. Oseney Abbey (1907) 7 Willyng and grauntyng my lorde Robert Doylly, all my londe.
1521 in J. W. Clay Testamenta Eboracensia (1902) VI. 6 First I will my saull to God Almyghtie.
1524 Test. of William Joneson in C. W. Foster Lincoln Wills (1914) I. 132 The resydue of all my goodes not willet nor bequethed.
1548 in W. Page Certificates Chantries County of York (1895) II. 462 iijs. iiijd...willed and bestowed of one obit.
1691 E. Taylor J. Behmen's Theosophick Philos. 74 The Will of every of them willeth its Property.
1883 Law Times 20 Oct. The statute of Henry VIII did something to restore the power of willing land.
1908 Mrs. H. Ward Diana Mallory iii The vast bulk of Henry Marsham's fortune, had been willed to Lady Lucy.
2009 A. Weir Mistress of Monarchy iv. 96 Constance had been willed the throne of Castile by her father, King Pedro, and was regarded as its legitimate queen by his followers.
(b) transitive. to will away: to bequeath (land, property, etc.) to someone other than the person who would otherwise inherit.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > transfer of property > transfer [verb (transitive)]
assign1297
bequeathc1305
alienc1400
analy1405
releasea1425
alienate?a1475
to make over1478
convey1495
transport1523
to put over1542
dispone?1548
design1573
pass1587
to set over1594
transfer1598
abalienate1646
attorn1649
demise1670
enure1736
to will away1773
divest1790
1773 H. L. Thrale Let. 20 Nov. in Lett. to & from S. Johnson (1788) I. xcii. 204 You now know he has willed away his estate.
1865 C. Dickens Our Mutual Friend I. ii. xiii. 288 Was it not enough that I should have been willed away, like a horse?
2014 M. Sharafi Law & Identity in Colonial South Asia iii. 142 Property received as a gift..and property bequeathed for charitable or religious purposes..could be willed away.
†3. To express or communicate one's will or wish with regard to something. With simple object, object and infinitive, that-clause, or in a clause introduced by as. Cf. will v.1 3.
a. To order; to decree, ordain. Obsolete or archaic.
(a) transitive. With a thing as object (chiefly without dependent clause). See also sense 2a. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
1412 in Hist. MSS Comm.: 15th Rep.: App. Pt. VIII: MSS Duke of Buccleuch & Queensberry (1897) 10 in Parl. Papers (C. 8553) L. 207 We..wil for the mare sekernes this oure confirmacioune be..selit with oure grete sele.
a1530 W. Bonde Pylgrimage of Perfeccyon (1531) iii. f. CCxxiiiiv Where scripture wylleth the contrary.
c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy (2002) f. 190 At þat orribill I asket angardly myche Of dethe & of deire as destyny willes.
1565 T. Cooper Thesaurus at Classicum By sounde of trumpet to will scilence.
1586 Jrnl. Irish House of Lords 29 Apr. in Eng. Hist. Rev. (1914) Jan. 115 Th'act..was ones red..and was willed to be ingrosed to the third reading.
1612 F. Bacon Ess. (new ed.) 54 It is common with Princes (saith Tacitus) to will contradictories.
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Æneis i, in tr. Virgil Wks. 204 'Tis yours, O Queen! to will The Work, which Duty binds me to fulfil.
1876 Ld. Tennyson Harold v. i. 135 Get thou into thy cloister as the king Will'd it.
(b) transitive. With a person as object. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > command > command or bidding > command [verb (transitive)] > specific something to be done
ordaina1387
willa1525
order1535
instruct1839
a1525 ( Coventry Leet Bk. (1908) II. 496 We desire and also will you that vnto oure seid seruaunt..ye yeue your aid.
1547 King Edward VI in T. Rymer Fœdera (1719) XV. 192 We Wyll and Commaunde yowe to Procede in the seid Matters.
1569 R. Grafton Chron. II. 659 Their sute was smally regarded, and shortly after they were willed to silence.
1588 W. Lambarde Eirenarcha (new ed.) ii. vii. 272 If a man do lie in awaite to rob me, and (drawing his sword upon me) he willeth me to deliver my money.
1596 T. Nashe Haue with you to Saffron-Walden sig. P4 Vp he was had and..willed to deliuer vp his weapon.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 1 (1623) i. iv. 10 We doe no otherwise then wee are will'd . View more context for this quotation
a1656 J. Hales Golden Remains (1659) i. 34 The King in the Gospel that made a feast and willed his servants to go out to the high-wayes side.
1799 Ld. Nelson in Dispatches & Lett. (1845) III. 397 Willing and requiring all Officers and men to obey you.
b. transitive. figurative. Of a thing: to require or demand (something); cf. will v.1 3b. Also: to induce or persuade (a person) to do something. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > motivation > persuasion > persuade (a person) [verb (transitive)] > persuade or prevail upon > to do something > specifically of things or circumstances
induce1430
invite1533
will1563
1445 tr. Claudian's De Consulatu Stilichonis in Anglia (1905) 28 267 (MED) Constaunce willeth also that thou doo nouȝte with weyke corage.
1563 B. Googe Eglogs Epytaphes & Sonettes Ep. Ded. sig. A.vv These..mischiefes vtterly diswaded me from the folowynge of my frendes perswasions, and wylled me rather to condem them.
1578 J. Lyly Euphues f. 28v Wisdome wylleth mee to pawse.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Coriolanus (1623) ii. iii. 118 What Custome wills in all things, should we doo't? The Dust on antique Time would lye vnswept. View more context for this quotation
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost iv. 633 Mean while, as Nature wills, Night bids us rest. View more context for this quotation
c. transitive. To request, entreat (a person) to do something; = desire v. 6. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > language > speech > request > request or ask for [verb (transitive)] > a person to do something
crave?c1225
seek1362
requirec1380
aska1400
require1415
to call upon ——a1450
will?1457
requestc1485
bespeaka1616
beg1675
?1457 T. Playter in Paston Lett. & Papers (2004) II. 174 As for the questyon that ye wylled me to aske my lord, I fond hym yet at no good leyser.
1564 N. Haward tr. Eutropius Briefe Chron. iii. sig. F.iiv The Romaines sent ambassadoures to him, to wyll him to cease from battayle.
1581 A. Hall tr. Homer 10 Bks. Iliades ii. 19 His errand done, as he was willde, he toke his flight from thence.
1631 J. Mabbe tr. F. de Rojas Spanish Bawd xiii. 150 Did I not will you I should not be wakened?
1690 J. Dryden Amphitryon i. i. 6 He has sent me to will and require you to make a swinging long Night for him.
4.
a. transitive. To determine (a result) by one's will; to attempt to cause or aim at effecting (a state of affairs) by the exercise of one's will; to set one's mind with conscious intention on the performance or occurrence of (something); to choose or decide (to do something, or that something shall be done or happen).Followed by a simple object, object and infinitive, infinitive (now always to-infinitive, formerly also bare infinitive), or that-clause; also with as or so.Nearly coinciding in meaning with will v.1 9, but with more explicit reference to the mental process of volition.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > [verb (intransitive)]
willc1450
will1582
the mind > will > intention > intend [verb] > intend to do something
weenOE
willOE
thinkOE
tightc1300
to be (later also to have it) in purpose1340
tend1340
cast138.
reckona1450
aimc1450
willc1450
esteema1533
suspect1629
predeterminea1641
c1450 Alphabet of Tales (1905) II. 263 (MED) Lady, þow hase willid me..to suffre suche a turmentrie, at þou sufferd þe instrument of þine offes for to be þus cut off.
a1500 (c1340) R. Rolle Psalter (Univ. Oxf. 64) (1884) vii. §17. 27 He willyd noght flee synn.
1581 A. Hall tr. Homer 10 Bks. Iliades v. 95 Fate had not willd that Vlysses Sarpadons death should be.
1593 R. Hooker Of Lawes Eccl. Politie i. vii. 59 To choose is to will one thing before another.
1615 R. Cocks Diary (1883) I. 9 He willed to take it all, for that he had need to use money heare.
1685 tr. J. Crasset New Form Meditations lxvi. 162 To will as God wills, is to be holy as God is.
1712 G. Berkeley Passive Obed. §11. 14 He that willeth the end, doth will the necessary means conducive to that end.
1723 J. Clarke tr. Rohault's Syst. Nat. Philos. I. i. ii. 11 If I will to move my Arm, it is presently moved.
1880 G. Meredith Tragic Comedians I. vi. 130 So great,..heroical, giant-like, that what he wills must be.
1891 F. W. Farrar Darkness & Dawn II. liv. 200 Who..were ready, if God so willed, to die for their faith.
1958 D. S. Daniell Hunt Royal (1962) viii. 88 If God wills that I am preserved and come back to reign I shall be no warrior king. I shall foster the arts of peace, not of war.
2010 D. E. Cartwright & E.E. Erdmann tr. A. Schopenhauer Two Fund. Probl. Ethics 48 I can do what I will: if I will to go left, then I go left:..it all depends on my will: thus, I am free.
b. intransitive. To exercise the will; to perform the mental act of volition.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > [verb (intransitive)]
willc1450
will1582
1582 Bible (Rheims) Phil. ii. 13 It is God which worketh in you, both to will and to accomplish.
1593 R. Hooker Of Lawes Eccl. Politie i. vii. 59 To will is to bend our soules to the hauing or doing of that which they see to be good.
1635 F. Quarles Emblemes iv. viii. 214 See how my Sin-bemangled body lies, Not having pow'r, to will; nor will, to rise!
1694 J. Locke Ess. Humane Understanding (new ed.) ii. xxi. 133 He, that shall turn his thoughts inwards upon what passes in his mind when he wills.
1830 J. Mackintosh Diss. Progress Ethical Philos. 58 But what could induce such a being to will or to act?
2007 Jrnl. Relig. Ethics 35 531 Others make different proposals: the capacity to will, or to act, to think rationally or to do so in the future.
c. transitive. To bring or get (something) into or out of a state or place by exercise of will.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > [verb (transitive)] > bring or get into or out of by exercise of
willa1751
a1751 Visct. Bolingbroke Philos. Wks. (1754) II. 289 The Supreme Being willed into existence this system.
1788 New London Mag. 434 To nonwill the existence of anything he once willed into being.
1850 L. Hunt Table-t. (1882) 184 Victims of opium have been known to be unable to will themselves out of the chair in which they were sitting.
1874 H. R. Reynolds John the Baptist iii. §2. 156 The great powers of nature..were willed into being by the word of Jehovah.
1922 J. Y. Simpson Man & Attainm. Immortality xiv. 332 He showed the reality of temptation for Himself in thus willing His own will into unison with that of God.
2002 M. Holroyd Wks. on Paper 277 My belief is that much of it has been willed into existence by desperately well-behaved people who could never hurt a fly.
d. transitive. Originally: to control (a person) or induce (a person) to do something by the exercise of special mental techniques (as in hypnotism) (now rare). Subsequently: to use one's willpower alone to try to compel (a person or thing) to do something (also with that-clause).
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > [verb (transitive)] > control by exercise of will
will1837
society > authority > power > influence > have influence with [verb (transitive)] > influence by mere exercise of will
will1837
1837 C. Poyen Progress Animal Magnetism ii. iii. 109 I willed her to answer another person, and she would, immediately begin to converse with this person: I willed her to cease, and she would cease instantly.
1883 Proc. Soc. Psychical Res. 1882–3 1 57 (note) The one to be ‘willed’ would go to the other end of the house, if desired, whilst we agreed upon the thing to be done.
1934 R. Lynd Both Sides of Road xxviii. 179 We need not confine our practice of ocular magnetism to the home... All that we have to do is to stare fixedly at some one a few yards away..and will that he shall turn his head.
1978 C. Rayner Long Acre xviii. 182 Amy watched him in silence, willing him to tell her more, to be more and more indiscreet.
2001 E. Colfer Artemis Fowl i. 6 Artemis studied the Polaroid. He willed his heart to maintain a calm beat. It seemed promising, but anything could be faked these days with a PC and flatbed scanner.
e. transitive. To impose (something one supports or desires) on a person or group.
ΚΠ
1917 Wine & Spirit Bull. 1 July 25/2 By edict of the prohibitionists the Mohammedan doctrine of prohibition is willed on us by force.
2012 Toronto Star (Nexis) 15 Apr. a10 Its [sc. the Charter of Rights and Freedoms] chief architect was Pierre Elliott Trudeau, the steely Liberal prime minister who willed it on the nation, especially reluctant premiers at a memorable first ministers conference.

Phrases

P1. In collocation with nill v., as an alteration of will v.1 [Compare the Latin parallels mentioned at willy-nilly adv.]
a. In sense 1. To desire, have a mind to, choose something (as opposed to nill ‘refuse’); to exercise the will with the intention of effecting something, to determine something by the will (as opposed to nill ‘negative, prevent’).
†(a) intransitive. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > wish or inclination > be inclined [verb (intransitive)]
inclinea1413
willc1443
please?1467
regard?1542
fantasy1548
depend1586
to be bent1626
point1638
bias1656
to be on1886
c1443 R. Pecock Reule of Crysten Religioun (1927) 498 Þe wil may not deuoutly, ferseli, feruently or strongli and abidingli wille or nylle and commaunde to oþere powers for to do and suffre peyneful deedis.
1577 H. I. tr. H. Bullinger 50 Godlie Serm. II. iv. ii. sig. Bbb.ij/2 Will chooseth, for in it dooth lye bothe to will and to nill [L. uelle & nolle].
a1610 G. Babington Expos. Catholike Faith in Wks. (1615) ii. 238 Whatsoeuer is done, is done either God willing, God nilling, or God not regarding.
1611 B. Jonson Catiline i. sig. Cv To will, or nill, to thinke things good, or bad.
1642 D. Rogers Naaman 12 From the different dispositions, and free-will of him that nilleth or willeth.
a1680 S. Charnock Several Disc. Existence of God (1682) 190 How had he the power of willing and nilling without a Being? Nothing cannot will or nill.
(b) transitive. Now archaic and rare.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > wish or inclination > be disposed or inclined to [verb (transitive)]
will?1529
?1529 R. Hyrde tr. J. L. Vives Instr. Christen Woman ii. v. sig. c.iijv If the wyfe and husbande loue together, they shall bothe wylle and nylle one thynge [L. idem uolent, idem nolent].
1596 E. Spenser Second Pt. Faerie Queene iv. vii. sig. Gv But whether willed or nilled friend or foe, I me resolu'd the vtmost end to proue.
1612 T. Taylor Αρχὴν Ἁπάντων: Comm. Epist. Paul to Titus iii. 3. 613 A facultie of willing, or nilling that which is first understood and iudged of in the minde.
1645 E. Pagitt Heresiogr. 108 The wil may..of her selfe will or nil, chuse or refuse any kind of good.
1722 W. Wollaston Relig. of Nature v. 76 (note) He is both cause and effect; He both willes and nilles,..loves and hates the same thing at the same time.
1775 J. W. Fletcher Zelotes & Honestus Reconciled (ed. 2) ii. xxi. 292 The will..cannot be forced to will or nill any thing against it's own dictates.
1860 E. B. Pusey Minor Prophets 20 When to will the same and nill the same, maketh of twain, one spirit.
1997 A. Wolter tr. Duns Scotus Duns Scotus, Will & Morality 160 I will happiness even more than I nill misery.
†b. intransitive. With inversion of subject (usually a pronoun), as in willed he, nilled he ‘whether he desired (or chose) to or not’: = will v.1 Phrases 1b. Chiefly in past tense. Obsolete.
ΚΠ
1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. Matt. v. f. xxxix The hyll..that beareth it [sc. the city], wylleth it, nilleth it [L. uelit nolit], maketh it seene of al men.
1548 W. Patten Exped. Scotl. sig. L.viiv Which whither he did for the doubt he had that we woold haue releaced him wild he nild he [etc.].
1577 R. Holinshed Hist. Eng. 233/1 in Chron. I Shee ruled them (willed they nilled they).
1610 P. Holland tr. W. Camden Brit. i. 549 That will'd hee nill'd hee, at length he yeelded up unto him, this Castle.
1652 tr. M. de Cervantes Saavedra Hist. Don-Quixote lxx. sig. Yyyv If they met with him, willed he or nilled he, they should bring him to the Castle.
P2. Proverb. (he) who wills the end, wills the means and variants: a person who wishes to achieve a desired goal must find or be prepared to use the means necessary to achieve it.Not common in North American use. [Compare post-classical Latin qui vult finem, vult etiam media (1586 or earlier), and earlier formulations, such as qui vult finem, videtur velle quae ad finem faciunt ‘he who wills the end, seems to will those things which make the end’ (1576). The idea goes back to at least the 13th cent.: Thomas Aquinas (a1274) in his Summa Theologiae (1-2 q. 8) says, Ergo, si voluntas est finis, ipsa etiam est eorum quae sunt ad finem ‘therefore, if the will is the end, it is also of those things which lead to the end’. Corresponding phrases are also found in French; compare e.g. qui veut la fin, veut aussi les moyens necessaires & ordonnez à icelle ‘he who wills the end, wills also the means necessary and ordained for it’ (1596), Qui veut la fin, veut aussi les moyens qui meinent à la fin ‘he who wills the end, wills also the means that lead to the end’ (1618).]
ΚΠ
1635 A. Gil Sacred Philos. Holy Script. i. v. 21 Because he that wills the end, wills also those meanes that leade unto the end, we may with reverence to his wisdome and truth affirme, that..in his secret counsell he did foresee that sin in Adam.
1654 W. Brownsword Rome's Conviction v. 90 God wills no thing impossible, and he that wills the end, wills the means.
1855 Irish Q. Rev. Dec. 900 When an edifice is menaced with ruin, it is pulled down with a view to its safe and durable reconstruction. He who wills the end, wills the means.
1911 C. W. Leadbeater Textbk. Theosophy viii. 115 One who wills the end wills also the means; in order to be able to do good work for the world he must develop within himself the necessary strength and the necessary qualities.
2020 Financial Times (Nexis) 11 Oct. Mr Johnson is good at willing the ends, if only vaguely. But unless he also wills the means we will have just waffle, again.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2021; most recently modified version published online December 2021).

willv.3

Brit. /wɪl/, U.S. /wɪl/, Scottish English /wɪl/
Forms: Middle English welt (past participle), Middle English will, Middle English wilt (past tense, in a late copy), Middle English wyll, Middle English wylt (past participle); Scottish pre-1700 1800s– will.
Origin: Probably a borrowing from early Scandinavian.
Etymology: Probably < early Scandinavian (compare Old Icelandic villa , Norwegian (Nynorsk) villa , Old Swedish, Swedish villa , in a range of senses ‘to lead astray, to falsify, to confuse, to deceive’, (also reflexive) Old Icelandic villask , Norwegian (Nynorsk) villa seg , Old Swedish villas , Swedish villa sig , in a range of senses ‘to go astray, to be or become lost, confused, or deceived’) < the same Scandinavian base as Old Icelandic villr wild, false, bewildered, gone astray (see will adj.).In Orkney and Shetland use probably partly < the unattested Norn cognate of the Scandinavian forms listed above.
Now Scottish (chiefly Shetland and Orkney).
intransitive. To go astray, lose one's way; to stray.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > aspects of travel > travel in specific course or direction > direct one's course [verb (intransitive)] > miss one's way > be lost
maska1387
willc1390
mara1450
to lose one's way1530
to walk will of one's way1572
wilder1658
maroon1699
to get slewed1929
c1390 MS Vernon Homilies in Archiv f. das Studium der Neueren Sprachen (1877) 57 277 (MED) Þis foul him tilled, þat atte laste in wode he willed.
c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 1711 He..Steleȝ out ful stilly..Went haf wylt of þe wode with wyleȝ fro þe houndes.
c1480 (a1400) St. Paul l. 838 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) I. 53 [He] fled allane owt of þe towne, willand in wastine vpe and done.
?a1540 (c1460) G. Hay tr. Buik King Alexander the Conquerour (1986–90) l. 5772 The nycht was mirk..Thare mycht na fallow hald him with his feris—Thay willit and þai wist nocht quhare þai ȝede.
c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy (2002) f. 38v Ffast fro my felowes & fuersly I rode..So I wilt in the wod..ffer fro my feres.
1887 J. M. E. Saxby Helyers in Lads of Lunda v ‘To will’, in Shetlandic parlance, means to lose your way.
1964 J. J. Graham & T. A. Robertson Nordern Lichts 57 I began ta tink I hed mair shance o willin ower da banks-lip or finnin da rest.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2021; most recently modified version published online December 2021).

willadv.adj.

Brit. /wɪl/, U.S. /wɪl/, Scottish English /wɪl/
Forms: Middle English wil, Middle English wille, Middle English wyl, Middle English wyle, Middle English wyll, Middle English wylle, Middle English (1800s English regional (East Anglian)) will, late Middle English wele (perhaps transmission error), late Middle English weyle (perhaps transmission error); Scottish pre-1700 vill, pre-1700 wyll, pre-1700 (1700s–1800s in derivatives) wil, pre-1700 1700s– will, 1800s wile, 1800s wul (in compounds), 1800s wyl, 1800s– wull Brit. /wʌl/, U.S. /wəl/, Scottish English /wʌl/, 1900s wil'.
Origin: A borrowing from early Scandinavian.
Etymology: < early Scandinavian (compare Old Icelandic villr wild, false, bewildered, gone astray, Old Swedish viller (Swedish vill ) wild, furious, wandering, lost, confused, false, misleading; see wild adj.).
Now Scottish.
A. adv.
Astray, out of the right way or one's intended way (literal and figurative). Chiefly in to go will: to go astray, lose one's way, wander, err.In early use the word could alternatively be interpreted as the adjective complement of go.
ΘΚΠ
society > morality > moral evil > wrong conduct > [adverb] > in the wrong way or into error
unrightOE
willa1300
astray1535
awkwardlyc1540
byway1549
seducedly1642
deviously1842
wrongways1922
society > morality > moral evil > wrong conduct > act wrongly or immorally [verb (intransitive)] > err or go wrong or astray
misfareeOE
wanderc897
dwelec900
miswendOE
misfereOE
misnimc1225
failc1290
to go willa1300
misgoc1300
misstepc1300
errc1315
strayc1325
folly1357
wryc1369
crookc1380
miscarryc1390
ravec1390
astray1393
forloinc1400
delire?a1475
to go wrong?1507
to tread the shoe awrya1542
swerve1576
prevaricate1582
tread awrya1625
society > travel > aspects of travel > travel in specific course or direction > [adverb] > astray
willa1300
wrongc1330
astrayc1380
astrayly1440
errantly1834
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > disregard for truth, falsehood > lack of truth, falsity > be mistaken, err [verb (intransitive)]
dwelec900
haltc900
marOE
slidea1000
misfangOE
missOE
to have wough?c1225
misnimc1225
misrekec1275
mis-startc1275
err1303
to go wrongc1340
misgo1340
slipc1340
snapperc1380
forvay1390
to miss of ——c1395
to make a balkc1430
to run in ——1496
trip1509
fault1530
mistake1548
misreckon1584
misstep1605
warpa1616
solecize1627
hallucinate1652
nod1677
to go will1724
to fare astray (misliche, amiss)a1849
slip1890
skid1920
a1300 (c1275) Physiologus (1991) l. 26 Silden he us wille, If we heren to his word ðat we ne gon nowor wille.
c1450 Alphabet of Tales (1905) II. 453 He gaff vnto ane honeste womman in wyldrenes, goand wyll, iij c penys.
a1500 (c1425) Andrew of Wyntoun Oryg. Cron. Scotl. (Nero) iv. l. 1987 Welth and riches wont was ay In wantones mare wil to draw Þan hawynge fayr and mesoure haw.
a1513 W. Dunbar Poems (1998) I. 260 It is so lang in cuming me till, I dreid that it be quyt gane will.
1567 Compend. Bk. Godly Songs (1897) 92 Thocht I wauer, or ga wyll, Or am in danger for to die.
1572 (a1500) Taill of Rauf Coilȝear (1882) 73 Walkand will of his way.
1724 A. Ramsay Vision in Ever Green I. iii I deimt dame Nature was gane will To rare with rackless reil.
1855 Notes & Queries 1st Ser. 12 489/1 Each time she attempted to cross this place she was irresistibly, and against her will, prevented by some invisible power; or, as she said, was ‘Will led’.
1955 W. P. Milne Eppie Elrick vii. A tint ma meathes [= lost my bearings] a'thegidder an' gidd clean wull.
B. adj.
1.
a. Not knowing what to do or how to proceed; at a loss, at one's wit's end, uncertain, perplexed. Sc. National Dict. (at cited word) records this sense as still in use in north-eastern Scotland in 1974.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > perplexity, bewilderment > [adjective]
yblenta1225
amazed?c1225
wory?c1225
mingedc1275
willc1300
distracta1340
confounded1362
confuse1362
distraitc1374
whapedc1374
wilsomea1375
poseletc1390
distraught1393
perplexa1425
wildc1440
wiltc1440
dodemusydc1450
mistedc1450
unclearc1475
mazed1493
perplexeda1500
traversablea1500
mazyc1525
entangled1561
muddy?1571
distraughted1572
moidered1587
wondering1592
puzzled1598
plundered1601
distracted1604
uncollected1613
wildered1642
turbid1647
tosticated1650
fuddled1656
pixie-led1659
puzzling1692
bumbazed1720
maffled1820
obfuscated1822
confused1825
muddly1829
mystified1833
maze1842
obfusticatedc1844
head-scratching1849
clueless1862
flustery1862
befogged1868
deurmekaar1871
mosy1887
skewgee1890
buggered-up1893
confusticated1898
smock-ravelled1904
messed-up1913
screwed-up1943
hung up1945
lost1967
gravelled-
c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) l. 863 Hwan he kam þe[r], he was ful wil, Ne hauede he no frend to gangen til.
?a1400 (a1338) R. Mannyng Chron. (Petyt) (1996) i. l. 11906 Arthure was alle wille on whilk hille þe geaunt was.
a1450 York Plays (1885) 144 Allas! Joseph for woo, Was neuer wight in worde [= world] so will!
1572 (a1500) Taill of Rauf Coilȝear (1882) 140 Ȝit was I mekle willar than.
1721 J. Kelly Compl. Coll. Scotish Prov. 375 You are so will of your wooing, you wat not where to wed. Note, You have such Choice of Mistresses.
?c1812 W. Lillie Sandy & Nap in W. Walker Bards of Bon-accord (1887) 601 Fu faen wad he 'abeen till a taen himsel' hame, But was wull o' a wyle for the deein' o't.
1929 in A. W. Johnston & A. Johnston Old-lore Misc. IX. ii. 75 Tae rin sae muckle i' tow wi' da Eenimy is gin dey waar poosted or will i' da hade.
b. Going astray in thought, belief, or conduct; going wrong, erring; wayward, wild. Sc. National Dict. (at cited word) records this sense as still in use in Roxburghshire in 1942.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > disregard for truth, falsehood > lack of truth, falsity > an error, mistake > [adjective]
erringa1340
overseena1393
willa1400
out of one's book (also books)1549
straying1553
faulting1566
deceived1569
seek1569
tripping1577
amiss1582
mistaking1582
naught1597
errant1609
solecistical1654
solecismical1656
wrong1695
solecistic1865
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 7310 Noght yow allan, bot your oxspring, Sal reu ful sare your will ȝerning.
c1480 (a1400) St. Margaret 360 in W. M. Metcalfe Legends Saints Sc. Dial. (1896) II. 57 Ȝoure consal is wikit & wil.
1923 R. L. Cassie Heid or Hert 35 I think, wi' you, 'at curns o' the folk may be trailin' the vrang gait efter wull ‘leaders’.
2. Going or gone astray; that has lost his or her way, or has nowhere to go for rest or shelter; straying, wandering, lost.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > aspects of travel > travel in specific course or direction > [adjective] > straying or going astray
willa1325
wilsomea1375
errant14..
miswandering?a1425
straying1553
straggling1589
extravagant1604
wandering1606
roytish1648
erroneous1731
wildering1827
stray-running1914
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 975 Ðo fleg agar fro sarray,..In ðe diserd wil, and weri.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Coll. Phys.) l. 23091 Quen I was wil and out of rest, Godli tok ye me to rest.
a1500 (a1460) Towneley Plays (1994) I. xxx. 418 When I was will and weriest, Ye harberd me full esely.
1572 (a1500) Taill of Rauf Coilȝear (1882) 35 In thay Montanis, I-wis, he wox all will.
1806 tr. Rosmer Hafmand iv, in R. Jamieson Pop. Ballads II. 203 And wull and waif for eight lang years They sail'd upon the sea.
1818 G. Beattie John o' Arnha' (ed. 2) 62 His will and weary ghost.
1871 W. Alexander Johnny Gibb xxvii. 200 Gyaun awa' to Aiberdeen like a wull chucken.
1959 People's Jrnl. (Aberdeen) 5 Dec. 13 A body wis gey wull aboot a new toon.
†3. Of a place: out-of-the-way, unfrequented, desolate. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > space > place > absence > fact of being unoccupied > [adjective] > deserted
manlessOE
willc1330
void1338
desolatec1374
destitute1382
blouta1522
destituted1550
unmanned1609
lifeless1615
deserted1629
vaked1638
vacant1791
c1330 in C. Brown Relig. Lyrics 14th Cent. (1924) 32 Þe siker soþe who-so seys, Wiþ diol dreye we our days & walk mani wil ways As wandrand wiȝtes.
c1400 (?c1390) Sir Gawain & Green Knight (1940) l. 2084 Welawylle [read Wela wylle] watȝ þe way þer þay bi wod schulden.
a1500 Eng. Conquest Ireland (Rawl.) (1896) 129 (MED) Hit was wille londe and woddy.
1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid iv. vi. 61 To nane wncouth landis,..Nother to fremmyt place, nor steddis will.
1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid xi. x. 64 Him self ascendis the hie band of the hyll By wentis strait and passage scharp and wyll.
1831 Aberdeen Mag. 22 An' I waur at hame, an' no i' the midst o' this wull how.

Phrases

†P1. will of wane (also wone) [see wane n.2, wone n.2] : wandering without a dwelling place, homeless; = sense B. 2; also (figurative) at a loss, at one's wit's end, = sense B. 1a. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > perplexity, bewilderment > confused, at a loss [phrase]
at one's wit's end (occasionally ends)1377
seek1390
will of wane (also wone)a1400
will of redea1425
on wild1477
to be at a muse1548
at a loss1592
at a stopa1626
in a fog?c1640
in a wood1659
at a wit-standa1670
at sea1768
at fault1833
far to find, seek1879
society > travel > aspects of travel > travel in specific course or direction > on course [phrase] > astray
will of wane (also wone)a1400
a1400 (c1300) Northern Homily: Knight who did Penance among Worms (Coll. Phys.) in Middle Eng. Dict. at Wil This pouer man was will of wan.
a1425 (?a1350) Seven Sages (Galba) (1907) l. 1590 (MED) Þe godeman herd noys of þe stane And þan he was ful wil of wane.
a1450 York Plays (1885) 153 Was neuere so wofull a wyffe, Ne halffe so wille of wone!
a1505 R. Henryson Test. Cresseid 543 in Poems (1981) 128 Wrappit in wo, ane wretch full will of wane.
a1600 ( W. Stewart tr. H. Boece Bk. Cron. Scotl. (1858) II. l. 39468 So will of wane [printed wand], and weipand for greit wo.
a1627 A. Craig Pilgrime & Heremite (1631) 5 Through the wood as I went, halfe will of waine.
†P2. will of rede [see rede n.1 4] : at a loss for a plan or scheme; = sense B. 1a. Also will of good rede. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > mental capacity > belief > uncertainty, doubt, hesitation > perplexity, bewilderment > confused, at a loss [phrase]
at one's wit's end (occasionally ends)1377
seek1390
will of wane (also wone)a1400
will of redea1425
on wild1477
to be at a muse1548
at a loss1592
at a stopa1626
in a fog?c1640
in a wood1659
at a wit-standa1670
at sea1768
at fault1833
far to find, seek1879
a1425 (?c1350) Ywain & Gawain (1964) l. 379 (MED) Þat weder made me so will of rede, I hopid sone to have my dede.
1489 (a1380) J. Barbour Bruce (Adv.) iii. 494 He wes alsua will off red, That he durst rest in-to na place.
a1500 (c1425) Andrew of Wyntoun Oryg. Cron. Scotl. (Nero) vi. l. 1652 His lemman was wil of gud rede.
1513 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Æneid ii. xi. 6 The top of litle Ascanius heid, Amang the dulefull armes, will of reid Of his parentis.
1810 R. Jamieson tr. Elfin Gray in W. Scott Lady of Lake App. 302 Up, will of rede, the husbande stood Wi' heart fu' sad and sair.

Compounds

will gate n. (also †gate will) [see gate n.2] now archaic the action of going astray.
ΘΚΠ
society > travel > aspects of travel > travel in specific course or direction > [noun] > straying or going astray
vagationc1340
straya1400
outstray?a1425
will gate1440
out-way going1532
straying1548
out-straying1589
aberrationa1594
estraying1598
taveringa1599
straggling1601
wandering1711
society > travel > means of travel > route or way > [noun] > wrong
miswaya1425
will gate1440
Promptorium Parvulorum (Harl. 221) 527 Wylgate, or wronge gate, deviacio.
c1450 Alphabet of Tales (1904) I. 90 Þan sho went in & tolde hym þe cauce of hur gate will.
1825 J. Jamieson Etymol. Dict. Sc. Lang. Suppl. (at cited word) Will, or Wull gate, 1. An erroneous course, literally used. 2. In a moral sense, any course that is improper.
1985 W. L. Lorimer & R. L. C. Lorimer New Test. in Scots (rev. ed.) Jude 417 They hae ramstammed intil the will-gate o Bâlaam for the sake o gain.

Derivatives

† willness n. (also whylenes) Obsolete wildness, madness; dizziness.The instance in quot. c1540 has also been taken as showing wildness n.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > mental health > mental illness > degree or type of mental illness > [noun] > frenzy or raging
wood dreameOE
frenzyc1340
furor1477
rammistnessc1485
wildnessc1540
willnessc1540
frenzicness1547
frenziness1594
phrenition1642
amok1665
nympholepsy1776
nympholepsia1885
c1540 (?a1400) Gest Historiale Destr. Troy (2002) f. 143 What whylenes or wanspede wryxles our mynd.
1880 W. T. Dennison Orcadian Sketch-bk. 75 I ha'e ta'en a w'akeness i' me breest, an' a sair, sair willness i' me heid.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2021; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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n.1eOEn.2a1325n.31677n.4a1718v.1eOEv.2eOEv.3c1390adv.adj.a1300
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