vill

Vill is a term with multiple uses across languages and names, rather than a single, standalone English word. In linguistic use, it most notably appears as a verb form in Swedish.

In Swedish, vill is the present tense form of the verb vilja, meaning to want or to wish. It is used for statements such as Jag vill ha kaffe (I want coffee) and for questions like Vill du följa med? (Do you want to come along?). Etymologically, vil­lia derives from Old Norse vilja and ultimately from Proto-Germanic roots related to desire or will.

In neighboring Scandinavian languages, the present-tense form is typically written with one l. Danish and Norwegian use vil to express will or want in the present tense (for example, Jeg vil have kaffe). The distinction between Swedish vill (double l) and the other forms is a matter of orthography rather than meaning, and speakers of each language would use their respective spelling in everyday speech.

Beyond its use as a verb form, vill can appear as a surname or as part of place names in Scandinavia and other regions. It is not a standard English vocabulary term, though it may appear in historical texts or as an element in proper names.

In summary, vill is primarily known as a Swedish present-tense verb form meaning to want or to will, with cognate forms in Danish and Norwegian that are spelled vil, and it also occurs as a surname or in toponyms.