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willan
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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See also: Willan
Old English
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Proto-West Germanic *willjan, from Proto-Germanic *wiljaną.
Pronunciation
Verb
willan
- to want, desire
- Hwæt wilt þū mā æt mē?
- What more do you want from me?
- c. 995, Ælfric, Extracts on Grammar in English
- Iċ wille þæt þū rǣde.
- I want you to read.
- c. 990, Wessex Gospels, Mark 10:51
- Hwæt wilt þū þæt iċ þē dō?
- What do you want me to do to you?
- 10th century, the Blickling Homilies, "The Story of Peter and Paul"
- Hwæder wilt þū gangan?
- Where do you want to go?
- late 10th century, Ælfric, "The Seven Sleepers"
- ...he wolde gan ut of ðam porte...
- ...he desired to go out of the town...
- to intend
- Iċ wolde þæt dōn!
- I meant to do that!
- Ne breġd þū nǣfre þīn sweord būtan þū his notian wille.
- Never draw your sword unless you intend to use it.
- to be willing
- used to express habitual behavior
- c. 992, Ælfric, "St. Oswald, King and Martyr"
- Hē wolde oftost æfter ūhtsange hine ġebiddan.
- He would most often pray after matins.
- c. 992, Ælfric, "St. Oswald, King and Martyr"
- Used to express the future tense
- late 9th century, translation of Orosius’ History Against the Pagans
- Sċortlīċe iċ hæbbe nū ġesǣd ymb þā þrīe dǣlas ealles þises middanġeardes; ac iċ wille nū, swā iċ ǣr gehēt, þāra þrēora landrīċa ġemǣre ġereċċan...
- I have now spoken about all three of this world's continents in brief; but I will now, as I promised before, relate the borders of the three continents...
- Homilies of the Anglo-Saxon Church
- Đā andwyrde Martinus unforht ðām cāsere, "Iċ wille ðurhgān orsorh ðone here, mid rōde tācne ġewǣpnod, nā mid rēadum sċylde, oððe mid hefeġum helme, oððe heardre byrnan." Đa hēt sē hǣðena cyning healdan Martinum, þæt hē wurde āworpen unġewǣpnod ðām here. Þā nolde sē Hǣlend his ðeġen forlǣtan, aċ ġesibbode þæt folc sōna þǣs on merien, þæt hī tō þǣs cāseres cyneġyrde ġebugon.
- Then the bold Martinus answered the emperor "I will go through the army, armed with a crucifix, not with a red shield, or with a heavy helmet, or a hard corselet." So the heathen king ordered that Martinus be held so he could be thrown unarmed into the army. But the Savior would not abandon his servant, and in the morning soon pacified the people so that they submitted to the emperor's scepter.
- Hwæt lā wilt þū dōn, mē stingan?
- What are you gonna do, stab me?
- late 9th century, translation of Orosius’ History Against the Pagans
- to want or intend to go (to or from somewhere)
- Hū oft wolde iċ heonan onweġ?
- How many times have I wanted to get away from here?
- late 10th century, Ælfric, the Old English Hexateuch, Genesis 32:17
- Hwæder willaþ ġē?
- Where are you guys going?
- used in the subjunctive past to express hypotheticals, where Modern English would use "would"
- Hū wolde þē līcian ġif ic wisse ealle þīne dēagolnesse?
- How would you like it if I knew all your secrets?
Conjugation
Conjugation of willan (irregular)
Related terms
Descendants
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