Hypertext Webster Gateway: "Would"

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

Weld \Weld\, n. [OE. welde; akin to Scot. wald, Prov. G. waude,
G. wau, Dan. & Sw. vau, D. wouw.]
1. (Bot.) An herb ({Reseda luteola}) related to mignonette,
growing in Europe, and to some extent in America; dyer's
broom; dyer's rocket; dyer's weed; wild woad. It is used
by dyers to give a yellow color. [Written also {woald},
{wold}, and {would}.]

2. Coloring matter or dye extracted from this plant.

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

Will \Will\, v. t. & auxiliary. [imp. {Would}. Indic. present, I
will (Obs. I wol), thou wilt, he will (Obs. he wol); we, ye,
they will.] [OE. willen, imp. wolde; akin to OS. willan,
OFries. willa, D. willen, G. wollen, OHG. wollan, wellan,
Icel. & Sw. vilja, Dan. ville, Goth. wiljan, OSlav. voliti,
L. velle to wish, volo I wish; cf. Skr. v[.r] to choose, to
prefer. Cf. {Voluntary}, {Welcome}, {Well}, adv.]
1. To wish; to desire; to incline to have.

A wife as of herself no thing ne sholde [should]
Wille in effect, but as her husband wolde [would].
--Chaucer.

Caleb said unto her, What will thou ? --Judg. i. 14.

They would none of my counsel. --Prov. i. 30.

2. As an auxiliary, will is used to denote futurity dependent
on the verb. Thus, in first person, ``I will'' denotes
willingness, consent, promise; and when ``will'' is
emphasized, it denotes determination or fixed purpose; as,
I will go if you wish; I will go at all hazards. In the
second and third persons, the idea of distinct volition,
wish, or purpose is evanescent, and simple certainty is
appropriately expressed; as, ``You will go,'' or ``He will
go,'' describes a future event as a fact only. To
emphasize will denotes (according to the tone or context)
certain futurity or fixed determination.

Note: Will, auxiliary, may be used elliptically for will go.
``I'll to her lodgings.'' --Marlowe.

Note: As in shall (which see), the second and third persons
may be virtually converted into the first, either by
question or indirect statement, so as to receive the
meaning which belongs to will in that person; thus,
``Will you go?'' (answer, ``I will go'') asks assent,
requests, etc.; while ``Will he go?'' simply inquires
concerning futurity; thus, also,``He says or thinks he
will go,'' ``You say or think you will go,'' both
signify willingness or consent.

Note: Would, as the preterit of will, is chiefly employed in
conditional, subjunctive, or optative senses; as, he
would go if he could; he could go if he would; he said
that he would go; I would fain go, but can not; I would
that I were young again; and other like phrases. In the
last use, the first personal pronoun is often omitted;
as, would that he were here; would to Heaven that it
were so; and, omitting the to in such an adjuration.
``Would God I had died for thee.'' Would is used for
both present and future time, in conditional
propositions, and would have for past time; as, he
would go now if he were ready; if it should rain, he
would not go; he would have gone, had he been able.
Would not, as also will not, signifies refusal. ``He
was angry, and would not go in.'' --Luke xv. 28. Would
is never a past participle.

Note: In Ireland, Scotland, and the United States, especially
in the southern and western portions of the United
States, shall and will, should and would, are often
misused, as in the following examples:

I am able to devote as much time and attention to
other subjects as I will [shall] be under the
necessity of doing next winter. --Chalmers.

A countryman, telling us what he had seen,
remarked that if the conflagration went on, as it
was doing, we would [should] have, as our next
season's employment, the Old Town of Edinburgh to
rebuild. --H. Miller.

I feel assured that I will [shall] not have the
misfortune to find conflicting views held by one
so enlightened as your excellency. --J. Y. Mason.

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

Would \Would\, imp. of {Will}. [OE. & AS. wolde. See {Will}, v.
t.]
Commonly used as an auxiliary verb, either in the past tense
or in the conditional or optative present. See 2d & 3d
{Will}.

Note: Would was formerly used also as the past participle of
{Will}.

Right as our Lord hath would. --Chaucer.

From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)

Would \Would\, n.
See 2d {Weld}.

From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)

would
v : expresses conditionality or possibility; "I would accept the
offer if you upped the salary a bit"


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