adj, verb, noun — 8 senses
/ˈwɪli/
Etymology From Middle English willy, willi, equivalent to will + -y. Cognate with Dutch willig (“obedient, hearsome”), German willig (“willing”), Swedish villig (“willing, agreeable”).
Obsolete Willing; favourable; ready; eager.
Etymology From Middle English wilȝe, from Old English wiliġ (“willow”). More at willow.
To cleanse wool or cotton, etc. with a willy, or willow.
Etymology 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.
Etymology 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 19th century.
Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, UK, Childish, Dialectal, Slang The penis.
Etymology Perhaps a shortening of willy-nilly, an old way of saying “whether one wants to or not”, here referring to the person being used as an agent without their knowledge, i.e. regardless of their will.
Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.