Where does “willingness” come from?
Willingness derives from English willing, from Old English -nes, from Proto-Germanic wiljô, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European welh₁-.
willingness (English): The state of being willing
Definitions
- The state of being willing
Ancestry of “willingness”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | willing | Ready to do something that is not a matter of... |
| 2 | English | will | To be able to, to have the capacity to |
| 3 | Middle English | wullen | Alternative form of wollen |
| 4 | Old English | wyllan | Alternative form of willan; will; to will, be... |
| 5 | Old English | willan | to want; to intend; to be willing |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | willjan | to want |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | wiljaną | to want |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | wélyoyt | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | wélyeti | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | welh₁- | to choose; to want |