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wil·ly-nil·ly

(wĭl′ē-nĭlē)

adv.

1. Whether desired or not: After her boss fell sick, she willy-nilly found herself directing the project.

2. Without order or plan; haphazardly: “We laid our sleeping bags out willy-nilly, as if having fallen from the stars” (Rick Bass).

adj.

1. Being or occurring whether desired or not: willy-nilly cooperation.

2. Disordered; haphazard: willy-nilly zoning laws.

[Alteration of will ye (or he or I), nill ye (or he or I), be you (or he or I) willing, be you (or he or I) unwilling.]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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