willyard

[ wil-yerd ]

adjective

, Scot. and North England.

1. obstinate; willful.

Word History and Origins

Origin of willyard¹

First recorded in 1580–90; (earlier) “wild, awkward, bewildered,” derivative of Scots, dialectal will “gone astray, perplexed” ( Middle English, from Old Norse villr ), perhaps with -ard, though formation is unclear; later influenced by will ² and wayward

Example Sentences

“We stand in solidarity with you. You are valued. Your work matters,” wrote Cassandra Willyard, president of the National Association of Science Writers, in a May release.

From Salon

Cassandra Willyard: It was a vaccine for Lyme disease.

From Slate

On Sunday’s episode of What Next: TBD, I spoke with Cassandra Willyard, a freelance science journalist based in Madison, Wisconsin, about why it took so long to get to this point.

From Slate

Tomorrow, Lizzie will talk to freelance science journalist Cassandra Willyard about the challenges of developing a vaccine against Lyme disease.

From Slate

"He's a gude creature," said she, "and a kind—it's a pity he has sae willyard a powny."

From Project Gutenberg