will

will¹

/wil/, auxiliary v. and v., pres. sing. 1st pers. will, 2nd will or (Archaic) wilt, 3rd will, pres. pl. will; past sing. 1st pers. would, 2nd would or (Archaic) wouldst, 3rd would, past pl. would; past part. (Obs.) wold or would; imperative, infinitive, and pres. participle lacking.

auxiliary verb.

1. am (is, are, etc.) about or going to: I will be there tomorrow. She will see you at dinner.

2. am (is, are, etc.) disposed or willing to: People will do right.

3. am (is, are, etc.) expected or required to: You will report to the principal at once.

4. may be expected or supposed to: You will not have forgotten him. This will be right.

5. am (is, are, etc.) determined or sure to (used emphatically): You would do it. People will talk.

6. am (is, are, etc.) accustomed to, or do usually or often: You will often see her sitting there. He would write for hours at a time.

7. am (is, are, etc.) habitually disposed or inclined to: Boys will be boys. After dinner they would read aloud.

8. am (is, are, etc.) capable of; can: This tree will live without water for three months.

9. am (is, are, etc.) going to: I will bid you "Good night."

v.t., v.i.

10. to wish; desire; like: Go where you will. Ask, if you will, who the owner is.

[bef. 900; ME willen, OE wyllan; c. D willen, G wollen, ON vilja, Goth wiljan; akin to L velle to wish]

Usage. See shall.

will²

—willer, n.

/wil/, n., v., willed, willing.

n.

1. the faculty of conscious and especially of deliberate action; the power of control the mind has over its own actions: the freedom of the will.

2. power of choosing one's own actions: to have a strong or a weak will.

3. the act or process of using or asserting one's choice; volition: My hands are obedient to my will.

4. wish or desire: to submit against one's will.

5. purpose or determination, often hearty or stubborn determination; willfulness: to have the will to succeed.

6. the wish or purpose as carried out, or to be carried out: to work one's will.

7. disposition, whether good or ill, toward another.

8. Law.

a. a legal declaration of a person's wishes as to the disposition of his or her property or estate after death, usually written and signed by the testator and attested by witnesses.

b. the document containing such a declaration.

9. at will,

a. at one's discretion or pleasure; as one desires: to wander at will through the countryside.

b. at one's disposal or command.

v.t.

10. to decide, bring about, or attempt to effect or bring about by an act of the will: He can walk if he wills it.

11. to purpose, determine on, or elect, by an act of will: If he wills success, he can find it.

12. to give or dispose of (property) by a will or testament; bequeath or devise.

13. to influence by exerting will power: She was willed to walk the tightrope by the hypnotist.

v.i.

14. to exercise the will: To will is not enough, one must do.

15. to decide or determine: Others debate, but the king wills.

[bef. 900; (n.) ME will(e), OE will(a); c. D wil, G Wille, ON vili, Goth wilja; (v.) ME willen, OE willian to wish, desire, deriv. of the n.; akin to WILL¹]

Syn. 3. choice. 4. pleasure, disposition, inclination. 5. resolution, decision. WILL, VOLITION refer to conscious choice as to action or thought. WILL denotes fixed and persistent intent or purpose: Where there's a will there's a way. VOLITION is the power of forming an intention or the incentive for using the will: to exercise one's volition in making a decision. 10. determine. 12. leave.

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I

In law, a formal declaration, usually in the form of an executed document, of a person's wishes regarding the disposal of his or her property after death.

It is valid if it meets the formalities of the law, which usually requires that it be witnessed. It may be considered invalid if, among other instances, the testator was mentally incapable of disposing of his or her property, if it imposes unreasonable or cruel demands as a condition of inheritance, or if the testator did not have clear title to the bequeathed assets. Any party who contests a will must bring the claim within a time specified by statute and must bear the burden of proof in demonstrating that the will is faulty. See also probate.

II

(as used in expressions)

free will problem

Kellogg John Harvey and Will Keith

living will

Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills

Wills Bob

James Robert Wills

Wills Helen Newington

Helen Newington Wills Moody Roark

Helen Wills Moody

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▪ law

also called  testament 

      legal means by which an owner of property disposes of his assets in the event of his death. The term is also used for the written instrument in which the testator's dispositions are expressed. There is also an oral will, called a nuncupative will, valid only in certain jurisdictions, but otherwise often upheld if it is considered a death-bed bequest.

      A brief treatment of wills follows. For full treatment, see inheritance: Wills (inheritance).

      A will is valid if it meets the formalities of the law, which usually, but not always, requires that it be witnessed. The advantage of having a will drawn by an attorney arises from his knowledge of what the law requires. A holograph will, for example, which is usually unwitnessed, is an instrument wholly written in the handwriting of the signer, and it may be accepted as legally binding upon the law to carry out its dispositions, barring the findings of anything that could render it invalid. A will may be considered invalid if, among other instances, the testator was mentally incapable of disposing of his property; if the will imposed unreasonable or cruel demands as a condition of inheritance; or if the testator did not have clear title to the bequeathed assets. Business partners often draw up “mutual wills” involving transfer of business assets upon the death of one partner. See also probate.

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