From Middle English willen, wullen, wollen, from Old English willan ("to want"), from Proto-West Germanic *willjan, from Proto-Germanic *wiljaną, from Proto-Indo-European *welh₁- ("to choose, wish").
Cognate with Dutch willen, Low German willen, German wollen, Swedish and Norwegian Nynorsk vilja, Norwegian Bokmål ville, Latin velle ("wish") and Albanian vel ("to satisfy, be stuffed"). The verb is not always distinguishable from Etymology 3, below.
From Middle English wille, from Old English willa ("mind, will, determination, purpose, desire, wish, request, joy, delight, pleasure") (compare verb willian), from Proto-Germanic *wiljô ("desire, will"), from Proto-Indo-European *welh₁- ("to choose, wish"). Cognate with Dutch wil, German Wille, Swedish vilja, Norwegian vilje.
From Middle English willen, from Old English willian, from Proto-West Germanic *willjōn, from Proto-Indo-European *welh₁-. Cognate with German Low German willen, German willen. The verb is not always distinguishable from Etymology 1, above.
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