Where does “воля” come from?
воля (Ukrainian) comes from Old East Slavic волꙗ, from Proto-Slavic *voľà, from Proto-Balto-Slavic wáljāˀ, from Proto-Indo-European welh₁- — to choose; to want.
воля (Ukrainian): will; freedom, liberty
Ancestry of “воля”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old East Slavic | волꙗ | — |
| 2 | Proto-Slavic | *voľà | — |
| 3 | Proto-Balto-Slavic | wáljāˀ | will |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | welh₁- | to choose; to want |