willy

See also: Willy

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈwɪli/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Audio (AU)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪli

Etymology 1

From Middle English willy, willi, equivalent to will +‎ -y. Cognate with Dutch willig (“obedient, hearsome”), German willig (“willing”), Swedish villig (“willing, agreeable”).

Adjective

willy (comparative willier or more willy, superlative williest or most willy)

1. (obsolete) Willing; favourable; ready; eager.
2. (UK dialectal, Scotland) Self-willed; willful.

Related terms

• ill-willy
• evil-willy

Etymology 2

From Middle English wilȝe, from Old English wiliġ (“willow”). More at willow.

Noun

willy (plural willies)

1. Alternative form of willow

Verb

willy (third-person singular simple present willies, present participle willying, simple past and past participle willied)

1. To cleanse wool or cotton, etc. with a willy, or willow.

Etymology 3

From Middle English wilie, from Old English wiliġe, wileġe (“basket”), from Proto-Germanic *wiligō (“wicker basket”), from Proto-Indo-European *weliko- (“willow-tree”). More at weel, willow.

Noun

willy (plural willies)

1. (UK dialectal) A willow basket.
2. (UK dialectal) A fish basket.

Etymology 4

Originally northern British usage, from the 1960s. Probably the simple use of a proper name as a pet name; compare dick, fanny and peter. Unlikely to be a contraction of Latin membrum virile, male member (that is, the penis), a Latin term used in English in the nineteenth century.

Alternative forms

• willie

Noun

willy (plural willies)

1. (hypocoristic, slang, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, childish) the penis.

   Little Johnny got his willy stuck in his zipper.

   • 2016 March 7, “Road Rage (Freestyle)”, performed by Little T (Josh Tate):

     Everybody knows your mum is a whore / Getting 'round Piccadilly looking for willy / Punters pull up and say "don't be silly"

2. (UK, childish) Term of abuse.

   (The addition of quotations indicative of this usage is being sought:)

Synonyms

• (penis): peter, johnson, wee-wee; see also Thesaurus:penis

Derived terms

• pilly willy
• willy warmer

 

Translations

The penis

• Azerbaijani: duduş
• Danish: tissemand (da), diller c, dillermand c
• Dutch: piemel (nl) m
• Finnish: pippeli (fi), kikkeli (fi), pili (fi)
• French: zizi (fr) m, quéquette (fr) f
• German: Pimmel (de) m, Schniedel (de) m, Pullermann (de) m
• Greek: πουλί (el) n (poulí)
• Hungarian: fütyi (hu), kuki (hu)
• Irish: pilibín m
• Italian: pisello (it) m, pisellino m, pipino (it) m
• Japanese: おちんちん (ja) (ochinchin), ちんちん (ja) (chinchin)
• Korean: 고추 (ko) (gochu)
• Latin: pipinna f
• Polish: siusiak (pl) m
• Portuguese: pirilau (pt) m, pipi (pt) m, bingola f
• Russian: писю́н (ru) m (pisjún), писю́нчик m (pisjúnčik)
• Spanish: pilila (es) f
• Swedish: snopp (sv) c
• Turkish: pipi (tr), çük (tr)

Etymology 5

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Alternative forms

• willie

Noun

willy (plural willies)

1. (espionage) A person who is manipulated into serving as a useful agent without knowing it.

See also

• sticky willy
• wet willy
• the willies
• willy willy
• willy-nilly