to use your conscious mind to decide or make something happen, or to leave your property to someone in a legal document after you die.
From Old English 'willan' (to wish/desire). The legal sense developed in the Middle Ages when wills became formalized documents. Both meanings involve exercising intention or control.
The concept of 'willpower' is scientifically fascinating—it's not a mystical force but actually limited mental energy that gets depleted throughout the day, which is why you resist temptation better in the morning.
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