verbirregular conjugation, suppletive, no passive, no gerund
nōlō
nōlō (present infinitive nōlle, perfect active nōluī)
Classical[ˈnoː.ɫoː]Ecclesiastical[ˈnɔː.lo]
№ 458 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary
Meaning
- suppletiveto be unwilling, to not wish, to not want, to refuse
T. Maccius Plautus, Stichus, or The Parasite Rebuffed
Abīre nōlumus.
We are unwilling to depart.
In the readers how our graded readers gloss it
don't!
nōlīte — in Viri Romae Facillimi, ch. 2
do not kill
nōlīte necāre — in Viri Romae Facillimi, ch. 6
unwilling
nōlēns — in Seneca, ch. IV
do not!
nōlī — in Seneca, ch. XIII
Conjugation irregular
| form | present | imperfect | future | perfect | pluperfect | fut. perfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | nōlō | nōlēbam | nōlam | nōluī | nōlueram | nōluerō |
| 2nd sg. | nōn vīs nevīs | nōlēbās | nōlēs | nōluistī | nōluerās | nōlueris |
| 3rd sg. | nōn vult nōn volt, nevolt | nōlēbat | nōlet | nōluit | nōluerat | nōluerit |
| 1st pl. | nōlumus | nōlēbāmus | nōlēmus | nōluimus | nōluerāmus | nōluerimus |
| 2nd pl. | nōn vultis nōn voltis, nōltis | nōlēbātis | nōlētis | nōluistis | nōluerātis | nōlueritis |
| 3rd pl. | nōlunt | nōlēbant | nōlent | nōluērunt nōluēre | nōluerant | nōluerint |
active subjunctive
| form | present | imperfect | perfect | pluperfect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st sg. | nōlim | nōllem | nōluerim | nōluissem |
| 2nd sg. | nōlīs | nōllēs | nōluerīs | nōluissēs |
| 3rd sg. | nōlit | nōllet | nōluerit | nōluisset |
| 1st pl. | nōlīmus | nōllēmus | nōluerīmus | nōluissēmus |
| 2nd pl. | nōlītis | nōllētis | nōluerītis | nōluissētis |
| 3rd pl. | nōlint | nōllent | nōluerint | nōluissent |
imperative
| form | active | passive |
|---|---|---|
| pres. 2nd sg. | nōlī | — |
| pres. 2nd pl. | nōlīte | — |
| fut. 2nd sg. | nōlitō | — |
| fut. 3rd sg. | nōlitō | — |
| fut. 2nd pl. | nōlitōte | — |
| fut. 3rd pl. | nōluntō | — |
infinitives & participles
| form | active | passive |
|---|---|---|
| present infinitive | nōlle | — |
| perfect infinitive | nōluisse | — |
| present participle | nōlēns | — |
nōlo, nōlŭi, nolle (nevis for non vis, Plaut. Trin. 5, 2, 32 Brix ad loc.; id. Most. 3, 2, 75; id. Poen. 5, 2, 119 al.:
I.
nevolt for non vult, id. Trin. 2, 2, 80; id. Most. 1, 2, 29; Titin. ap. Non. 144, 7; v. Don. ad Ter. Eun. 3, 3, 2: noltis for non vultis, Lucil. ap. Diom. p. 381 P.; gerund. abl. nolendo, Tert. adv. Marc. 1, 27), v. irreg. [ne-volo], to wish, or will ... not; not to wish, to be unwilling. I. In gen., with inf., or acc. and inf.: SI NOLET, ARCERAM NE STERNITO, Fragm. XII. Tab. ap. Gell. 20, 1, 25:
nolumus, Plaut. Stich. 1, 2, 85: novi ingenium mulierum: nolunt, ubi velis: ubi nolis, cupiunt ultro, Ter. Eun. 4, 7, 43: etiamsi nolint, Cic. Rep. 1, 31, 47: nolo, eundem populum imperatorem et portitorem esse terrarum, id. ib. 4, 7, 7: pluribus praesentibus eas res jactari nolebat, Caes. B. G. 1, 18: nollet carmine quemquam Describi, Hor. Ep. 2, 1, 153: procedere recte Qui moechos non voltis, id. S. 1, 2, 38.—Esp. freq. in imp., noli, nolito, nolite, etc., with inf. periphrastically for the imp., do not: noli irascier, Plaut. Capt. 4, 2, 60; 65: noli avorsari, id. Trin. 3, 2, 1: noli putare, Cic. Brut. 33, 125: nolito putare, Lucil. ap. Non. 505, 20: nolite, hospites, ad me adire, Enn. ap. Cic. Tusc. 3, 12, 26 (Trag. v. 404 Vahl.): nolite, judices, existimare, etc., Cic. Fl. 42, 105: nolitote mirari, Sisenn. ap. Non. 481, 2: noli vexare, Juv. 1, 126.— Sometimes with velle pleonastically: nolite, judices ... hunc jam naturā ipsā occidentem velle maturius exstingui vulnere vestro, quam suo fato, Cic. Cael. 32, 79; Nep. Att. 4, 2.—Sometimes followed by a negative, which does not destroy the negation: nolui deesse, ne tacitae quidem flagitioni tuae, Cic. Top. 1, 5; Liv. 2, 45: nollem, I would not, I could wish not: nollem factum, I am sorry for it, Ter. Ad. 2, 1, 11: Carthaginem et Numantiam funditus sustulerunt: nollem Corinthum, Cic. Off. 1, 11, 35: quod nolim, which Heaven forbid: videbis, si erit, quod nolim, arcessendus, ne, etc., id. Att. 7, 18, 3; Ov. H. 20, 100: non nolle, to have no objection, to be willing: cum se non nolle dixisset, Cic. de Or. 2, 18, 75: quos ego nominarem: neque ipsi nolunt, and they have no objection, id. Sull. 26, 72.—Part. pres.: me nolente, without my consent, against my will, Quint. 3, 6, 68: nolente senatu, Luc. 1, 274: nolentibus umbris, id. 2, 175.—II. In partic., to wish ill, be adverse to a person (very rare):
cui qui nolunt, iidem tibi, quod eum ornāsti, non sunt amici, Cic. Fam. 1, 1, 3.— P. a.: nōlens, entis, unwilling (post-Aug. for invitus): dignitati ejus aliquid adstruere inopinantis, nescientis, immo etiam fortasse nolentis, Plin. Ep. 3, 2, 3; Cels. 1, 8; Quint. 3, 6, 68.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
nōlō nōluī, —, nōlle
ne+volo, to wish . . . not, will . . . not, not to wish, to be unwilling : (mulieres) Nolunt, ubi velis; ubi nolis, cupiunt ultro, T.: etiam si nolint: pluribus praesentibus eas res iactari nolebat, Cs.: nollet carmine quemquam Describi, H.: nolo vincat: nollem dixissem: nolo plura: nolo ego istam in te modestiam, L.—Imper., with an inf: noli putare, do not believe : nolite, iudices, existimare, etc.: noli vexare, Iu.: nolite velle (pleonast.).—Followed by a negative, which continues the negation: nolui deesse ne tacitae quidem flagitioni tuae: nolle successum, non patribus, non consulibus, L.—In the phrase, nollem factum, I am sorry for it , T.—Ellipt.: nollem (sc. factum), T.: sed nolo pluribus (sc. verbis rem exsequi), L.: videbis, si erit, quod nolim, arcessendus, ne, etc., and may heaven forbid it .—With a negative, to be willing, have no objection : cum se non nolle dixisset.— To wish ill, be adverse : cui qui nolunt, iidem, etc.
Origins
Proto-Indo-European *néder. Proto-Indo-European *méh₁ Proto-Indo-European *néh₁der. Proto-Italic *nē Archaic Latin nei Old Latin ne Latin ne- Latin volō univ. Latin nōlō Univerbation of ne- (“not”) + volō (“want”).