I. verb (past would; present singular & plural will)
Etymology: Middle English (1st & 3d singular present indicative), from Old English wille (infinitive wyllan); akin to Old High German wili (3d singular present indicative) wills, Latin velle to wish, will Date: before 12th century transitive verb desire , wish , verb al auxiliary
1. — used to express desire, choice, willingness, consent, or in negative constructions refusal
2. — used to express frequent, customary, or habitual action or natural tendency or disposition
3. — used to express futurity
4. — used to express capability or sufficiency
5. — used to express probability and often equivalent to the simple verb
6. a. — used to express determination, insistence, persistence, or willfulness b. — used to express inevitability
7. — used to express a command, exhortation, or injunction
II. noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English willa will, desire; akin to Old English wille Date: before 12th century desire , wish : as, disposition , inclination , appetite , passion , choice , determination ,
2. something desired, b. request , command , the part of a summons expressing a royal command, the act, process, or experience of willing ; volition ,
4. mental powers manifested as wishing, choosing, desiring, or intending, a disposition to act according to principles or ends, the collective desire of a group , the power of control over one's own actions or emotions , a legal declaration of a person's wishes regarding the disposal of his or her property or estate after death,
III. Date: before 12th century transitive verb
1. to order or direct by a will , to dispose of by or as if by a will ; bequeath ,
2. to determine by an act of choice, decree , ordain , intend , purpose , to cause or change by an act of will , intransitive verb to exercise the will, choose