noun · femininethird declension
velleitās
velleitās f (genitive velleitātis)
Classical[wɛlˈle.ɪ.taːs]Ecclesiastical[velˈlɛː.i.tas]
Meaning
- Medieval Latinvelleity (a mere wish not leading to any action)
Sed voluntas magis ad indicationis officium retorquetur et quidam dixerunt velleitatem voluntatem incompletam, voluntatem per se completam que dicitur ab hoc verbo 'volo', non ab eo quod est 'vellem'.
However voluntas (will) is more often used with an indicative function, and some have called an imperfect will a “velleity”, while the perfect will itself is called after the verb form “volo” (“I want”), not from the verb form “vellem” (“I would want”).1225 – 1228, Philippus Cancellarius, Summa de bono I.pp. 225–226
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | velleitās | velleitātēs |
| genitive | velleitātis | velleitātum |
| dative | velleitātī | velleitātibus |
| accusative | velleitātem | velleitātēs |
| ablative | velleitāte | velleitātibus |
| vocative | velleitās | velleitātēs |
Origins
From vell(e)- (the stem used to form the imperfect subjunctive forms of volō (“to want, will; to wish”)) + -(i)tās, suggesting a weaker degree of desire and uncertainty, as in vellet (“one would want”); in contrast to the simple indicative expression of will of voluntās, as in volunt (“they want”). A technical term finding use primarily in the philosophical and theological treatises of medieval European scholastics.
Descendants
- Catalanvel·leïtat
- Englishvelleity
- Frenchvelléité
- GermanVelleität
- Italianvelleità
- Portugueseveleidade
- Spanishveleidad
- Galicianveleidade
In English words that came into English from velleitās
- velleityvelleitās