Nill
name, noun, verb ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 Shining sparks thrown off from melted brass.
- 2 Synonym of zinc oxide, particularly white forms used in medicine and cosmetics. obsolete, uncountable
- 3 Scales of hot iron from the forge.
- 1 To be unwilling; will not (+ infinitive). auxiliary, modal, obsolete
"I here auow thee neuer to forſake. Ill weares he armes, that nill them vſe for Ladies ſake."
- 2 To be unwilling. archaic, intransitive
"I must indeed abide the Doom of Men, whether I will or I nill:[…]"
- 3 To reject, refuse, negate. archaic, transitive
"Certes (ſayd he) I n’ill thine offred grace, Ne to be made ſo happy doe intend[…]."
- 1 A surname.
Example
More examples"I here auow thee neuer to forſake. Ill weares he armes, that nill them vſe for Ladies ſake."
Etymology
From Middle English nillen, from Old English nyllan (“to not want”), corresponding to ne + will. Cognate with Old Frisian nelle. Unrelated to Latin nolo which is constructed the same way, but the morphemes that compound both verbs are cognates.
Compare Irish néal and Scottish Gaelic neul (“star, light”). Compare nebula.
From Medieval Latin nil and nihil (“nothing”) to represent German nichts and nix (“nothing”), confused with Latin nix (“snow, snow-white thing”), used for white forms of zinc oxide. Doublet of nihil album.
Related phrases
More for "nill"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.