different between wilily vs willy

English

Etymology

From wily +? -ly.

Adverb

wilily (comparative more wilily, superlative most wilily)

1. In a wily manner.

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?w?li/
• Rhymes: -?li

Etymology 1

From Middle English willy, willi, equivalent to will +? -y. Cognate with Dutch willig (“obedient, hearsome”), German willig (“willing”), Swedish villig (“willing, agreeable”).

Adjective

willy (comparative willier or more willy, superlative williest or most willy)

1. (obsolete) Willing; favourable; ready; eager.
2. (Britain dialectal, Scotland) Self-willed; willful.

Related terms

• ill-willy
• evil-willy

Etymology 2

From Middle English wil?e, from Old English wili? (“willow”). More at willow.

Noun

willy (plural willies)

1. Alternative form of willow

Verb

willy (third-person singular simple present willies, present participle willying, simple past and past participle willied)

1. To cleanse wool or cotton, etc. with a willy, or willow.

Etymology 3

From Middle English wilie, from Old English wili?e, wile?e (“basket”), from Proto-Germanic *wilig? (“wicker basket”), from Proto-Indo-European *weliko- (“willow-tree”). More at weel, willow.

Noun

willy (plural willies)

1. (Britain dialectal) A willow basket.
2. (Britain dialectal) A fish basket.

Etymology 4

• Originally northern British usage, from the 1960s. Probably the simple use of a proper name as a pet name; compare dick, fanny and peter. Unlikely to be a contraction of Latin membrum virile, male member (that is, the penis), a Latin term used in English in the nineteenth century.

Alternative forms

• willie

Noun

willy (plural willies)

1. (hypocoristic, slang, childish) the penis.
2. (Britain, childish) Term of abuse.

Synonyms

• (penis): peter, johnson, wee-wee; see also Thesaurus:penis

Translations

Etymology 5

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Alternative forms

• willie

Noun

willy (plural willies)

1. (espionage) A person who is manipulated into serving as a useful agent without knowing it.

See also

• wet willy
• the willies
• willy willy
• willy-nilly