Will

See also: will

English

Etymology

Shortened from William or, less often, from other given names beginning with Wil-, such as Wilfred or Willard.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wɪl/
• Homophone: will
• Rhymes: -ɪl

Proper noun

Will

1. A male given name, a shortening of William; also used as a formal given name.
   • 1598, William Shakespeare, Sonnets, 136

     Make but my name thy love, and love that still, / And then thou lov'st me, - for my name is Will.

   • 1998 Nick Hornby, About A Boy, Victor Gollancz, 1998, →ISBN, page 208

     One of his neighbours opposite, a nice old guy with a stoop and a horrible little Yorkshire terrier, called him Bill - always had done and presumably always would, right up till the day he died. It actually irritated Will, who was not, he felt, by any stretch of the imagination, a Bill. Bill wouldn't smoke spliffs and listen to Nirvana. So why had he allowed this misapprehension to continue? Why hadn't he just said, four years ago, "Actually my name is Will"?

2. A patronymic surname transferred from the given name

Derived terms

• Will County

Related terms

• Willie
• Willy

Noun

Will (plural Wills)

1. (American football) A weak-side linebacker.
   • 1997, F Henderson, M Olson, Football's West Coast Offense, page 7

     Will linebacker drops to turn-in, QB dropping dumps the ball off to HB.

   • 2000, American Football Coaches Association Defensive Football Strategies, page 25

     Our Will linebacker, because he is away from the formation or to the split end, should be a great pursuit man and pass defender.

     Will covers the back side hook zone on the weak side.

See also

• Sam