Etymograph

English

won't

Won't comes from earlier English wonnot, from Middle English wynnot, a contraction of will not.

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500will not1
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500wynnot1contraction of will not
  3. English1500–presentwonnot1
  4. Englishtodaywon't1

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, English won't

Lineage

  1. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500will notWiktionary, English won't
  2. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500wynnotWiktionary, English won'tcontraction of will not
  3. English1500–presentwonnotWiktionary, English won't
  4. Englishtodaywon'tWiktionary, English won't

The story

For the pronunciation with /oʊ/, /əʊ/, see poultry.

Full etymology on Wiktionary

Every English word from Middle English will not

Today it means

verb will not (negative auxiliary); used to indicate a future non-occurring action.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “won't”. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Middle English will not / won't

Shirt and support for this word