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From: mmar@sphinx.UChicago.UUCP (Mitchell Marks)
Newsgroups: net.nlang
Subject: Re: The word "won't".
Message-ID: <893@sphinx.UChicago.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 26-Jul-85 00:51:32 EDT
Article-I.D.: sphinx.893
Posted: Fri Jul 26 00:51:32 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 28-Jul-85 05:45:55 EDT
References: <565@rtech.UUCP>
Organization: U Chicago -- Linguistics Dept
Lines: 11


	At one time the form `nill' was available for "will not", or
more nearly "doesn't will [it]" -- since the relevant meaning of `will'
was "want, wish".  Thus, to say "whether he wants to or not" you could
say `will he, nill he'.  This also worked for other pronouns, e.g.
'will she nill she', but the version with he has survived down to today
as `willy nilly'.
-- 

            -- Mitch Marks @ UChicago 
               ...ihnp4!gargoyle!sphinx!mmar