villig

Villig is an adjective used in several Scandinavian languages, most notably Norwegian (Bokmål and Nynorsk), Swedish, and Danish. It means willing, eager, or prepared to act, and is used to describe a person’s readiness to cooperate, help, or undertake a task. In everyday use it can function as a descriptive attribute or appear in constructions expressing intention or consent, such as being willing to participate.

Etymology and cognates

The word is related to the broader Germanic family of words for will and desire. It derives from ancient forms akin to Old Norse vilja “to want” and is cognate with English will and willing, as well as German willig. The common -ig ending is a typical Germanic adjective-forming suffix, yielding a word that denotes having a certain quality.

Usage notes

In Norwegian, Swedish, and Danish, villig is used in sentences such as “Han er villig til å hjelpe” (Norwegian) or “Jag är villig att hjälpa” (Swedish), meaning “He is willing to help” or “I am willing to help.” The term covers a range from willingness to readiness to take action and can describe people, attitudes, or proposals.

Regional variation

While the spelling is generally identical across the languages, pronunciation and exact usage can vary by locale and syntactic construction. In all three languages, villig remains a standard, neutral term for expressing a positive willingness or readiness.

See also

Will, Willingness

Note: This article treats villig as a common Scandinavian adjective and does not cover potential non-linguistic uses or names.