English
free will
Free will comes from Middle English fre will.
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500fre will
- Englishearliest quotation 1603free will
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500fre will
- Englishearliest quotation 1603free will
Earliest quotation: 1603, Michel de Montaigne, The Essayes […]: “I say therefore, there is no likelyhood, we should…”
Every English word from Middle English fre will
Today it means
noun Voluntary choice; (the power of) unforced, uncoerced choice.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Middle English fre will / free will