Meaning
A powerful and unyielding determination to achieve something.
Practice Bank
3 exercisesDespite numerous setbacks, her ______ allowed her to persevere and achieve her dreams.
It takes a ______ to overcome such a difficult challenge.
His ______ was evident as he tirelessly worked towards his goal, never giving up.
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The phrase 'strong will' is a combination of two common English words, 'strong' and 'will,' both with deep roots in Germanic languages. 'Strong' comes from Old English 'strang' or 'strong,' meaning powerful, mighty, or robust. This, in turn, can be traced back to Proto-Germanic '*strangaz' and further to Proto-Indo-European '*strenk-,' meaning 'to pull tightly, to twist.' The sense of physical power and resilience has been present throughout its history. 'Will' originates from Old English 'willan' (verb) or 'willa' (noun), signifying desire, wish, or determination. Its Germanic ancestor is Proto-Germanic '*wiljan,' and the ultimate Proto-Indo-European root is '*welh-,' meaning 'to choose, to wish.' Over time, 'will' evolved to encompass not just a desire but also the mental faculty of choosing and acting, the power of conscious decision. The pairing of 'strong' and 'will' likely developed naturally as a descriptive phrase in English to characterize a person possessing a powerful and unwavering determination. While a precise date for the first use of the exact phrase 'strong will' as a fixed idiom is difficult to pinpoint, its constituent parts have been in use for well over a millennium, and the meaning would have been clear in various combinations for centuries. The concept of an unyielding determination has been valued across cultures and languages, and the English expression 'strong will' effectively conveys this enduring human trait.
