SB PREVIOUS:No, surely you were spot on the first time. The independent verb "will", as opposed to the auxiliary, has almost lost its irregular conjugation e.g. past "would" which is now generally used only as an auxiliary, and is instead now usually conjugated weakly. This is one of a number of English verbs which have lost their irregular conjugations, completely or in part, but are still the same verb. Also the independent verb "will" is current largely in this idiomatic sense, also in the sense of "leave an inheritance using a will".
the idiom "will to [X]", which has the sense "exert one's will towards"
the goal specified by the verb [X].
SB TODAY: Silly me -- that is of course a different verb, conjugated
weakly. OED derives it from the noun.
Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.