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)

(obsolete) Willing; favourable; ready; eager.
(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)

Alternative form of willow

Verb

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

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)

(UK dialectal) A willow basket.
(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)

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

Translations

The penis

Azerbaijani: duduş
Danish: tissemand (da)
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 (ochinchin), ちんちん (ja) (chinchin)
Korean: 고추 (ko) (gochu)
Latin: pipinna f
Polish: siusiak (pl) m
Portuguese: pirilau 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)

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