different between willy vs wille

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

English

Noun

wille (plural willes)

1. Obsolete spelling of will

Verb

wille

1. Obsolete spelling of will

Dutch

Pronunciation

Verb

wille

1. (archaic) singular present subjunctive of willen

Noun

wille

1. (archaic) Dative singular form of wil

Middle Dutch

Etymology 1

From Old Dutch willo, from Proto-Germanic *wiljô.

Noun

wille m or f

1. will, wish
2. want, desire
3. inclination, disposition
4. what one desires, wants

Inflection

This noun needs an inflection-table template.

Descendants

• Dutch: wil
  • Afrikaans: wil
• Limburgish: wil

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the main entry.

Verb

wille

1. first-person singular present indicative of willen

Further reading

• “wille (I)”, in Vroegmiddelnederlands Woordenboek, 2000
• Verwijs, E.; Verdam, J. (1885–1929) , “wille (I)”, in Middelnederlandsch Woordenboek, The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff, ?ISBN, page I

Middle English

Adverb

wille

1. (rare) Alternative form of wel

Old English

Verb

wille

1. first-person singular present indicative of willan
2. third-person singular present indicative of willan