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velleity

[vuh-lee-i-tee]
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noun, plural vel·le·i·ties.
  1. volition in its weakest form.
  2. a mere wish, unaccompanied by an effort to obtain it.
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Origin of velleity

1610–20; < New Latin velleitās, equivalent to Latin velle to be willing + -itās -ity
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
British Dictionary definitions for velleity

velleity

noun plural -ties rare
  1. the weakest level of desire or volition
  2. a mere wish
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Word Origin

C17: from New Latin velleitās, from Latin velle to wish
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for velleity

n.

1610s, from Medieval Latin stem of velleitas (from Latin velle "to wish, will;" see will (v.)) + -ity.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper