English edit

Etymology edit

From Middle English wilnen, wilnien, from Old English wilnian (to wish, long for, desire, will, beg for, supplicate, entreat, petition for, tend towards), from Proto-West Germanic *welnōn, from Proto-Germanic *welnōną (to desire), from Proto-Germanic *wiljô (wish, desire), from Proto-Indo-European *welh₁- (to wish, choose). Cognate with Icelandic vilna (to hope, promote), Old English willa (mind, will, determination, purpose, desire, wish, request, joy, delight, pleasure). More at will.

Verb edit

wiln (third-person singular simple present wilns, present participle wilning, simple past and past participle wilned)

  1. (transitive, obsolete) To wish; desire.
  2. (transitive, obsolete) To receive willingly; consent or submit to; accept.
  3. (transitive, obsolete) To resolve; determine.
  4. (intransitive, obsolete) To have a desire; long (for); yearn or seek (after).

Anagrams edit

Old English edit

Alternative forms edit

Etymology edit

A contraction of *wīelen; equivalent to wealh (Welsh person, slave) +‎ -en (feminine suffix).[1]

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

wīln f (nominative plural wīlna)

  1. handmaid[2]

Declension edit

References edit

  1. ^ Miller, D. Gary (2012 June 13) “English: The early period”, in External Influences on English: From its Beginnings to the Renaissance, Oxford University Press, →DOI, →ISBN, § 3.1, page 42..
  2. ^ Joseph Bosworth and T. Northcote Toller (1898) “wiln”, in An Anglo-Saxon Dictionary[1], 2nd edition, Oxford: Oxford University Press.