Online Etymology Dictionary

wildebeest (n.): 1838, from S. African Dutch (in modern Afrikaans wildebees, plural wildebeeste), literally "wild beast," from Dutch wild "wild" (see wild (adj.)) + beest "beast, ox" (in S.African Dutch "steer, cattle"), from Middle Dutch beeste, from Old French beste "beast" (see beast).
wilderness (n.): c.1200, from Old English wildeoren "wild, savage," from wildern (adj.) "wild, savage" (from wilde "wild;" see wild (adj.) + deor "animal;" see deer) + -ness. Cf. Dutch wildernis, German Wildernis, though the usual form is Wildnis.
wildfire (n.): Old English, from wild (adj.) + fire (n.). Originally in reference to spreading skin diseases; meaning "destructive fire" is attested from early 12c.; figurative sense is recorded from c.1300.
wildlife (n.): "fauna of a region," 1879, from wild (adj.) + life.
wile (n.): mid-12c., wil "wile, trick," perhaps from Old North French *wile (Old French guile), or directly from a Scandinavian source (cf. Old Norse vel "trick, craft, fraud," vela "defraud"). Perhaps ultimately related to Old English wicca "wizard" (see Wicca). Lighter sense of "amorous or playful trick" is from c.1600. Wily is attested from c.1300.
Wilhelmine (adj.): 1931, "pertaining to the reign of Wilhelm II," emperor of Germany 1888-1918, from German Wilhelm (see William).
will (v.): Old English *willan, wyllan "to wish, desire, want" (past tense wolde), from Proto-Germanic *welljan (cf. Old Saxon willian, Old Norse vilja, Old Frisian willa, Dutch willen, Old High German wellan, German wollen, Gothic wiljan "to will, wish, desire," Gothic waljan "to choose"). The Germanic words are from PIE *wel-/*wol- "be pleasing" (cf. Sanskrit vrnoti "chooses, prefers," varyah "to be chosen, eligible, excellent," varanam "choosing;" Avestan verenav- "to wish, will, choose;" Greek elpis "hope;" Latin volo, velle "to wish, will, desire;" Old Church Slavonic voljo, voliti "to will," veljo, veleti "to command;" Lithuanian velyti "to wish, favor," pa-vel-mi "I will," viliuos "I hope;" Welsh gwell "better").

Cf. also Old English wel "well," literally "according to one's wish;" wela "well-being, riches." The use as a future auxiliary was already developing in Old English. The implication of intention or volition distinguishes it from shall, which expresses or implies obligation or necessity. Contracted forms, especially after pronouns, began to appear 16c., as in sheele for "she will." The form with an apostrophe is from 17c.
will (n.): Old English will, willa, from Proto-Germanic *weljon (cf. Old Saxon willio, Old Norse vili, Old Frisian willa, Dutch wil, Old High German willio, German wille, Gothic wilja "will"), related to *willan "to wish" (see will (v.)). The meaning "written document expressing a person's wishes about disposition of property after death" is first recorded late 14c.
will-o'-the-wisp (n.): 1660s, earlier Will with the wisp (c.1600), from the masc. proper name Will + wisp "bundle of hay or straw used as a torch."
willful (adj.): c.1200, "strong-willed," from will (n.) + -ful. Willfully is late Old English wilfullice "of one's own free will, voluntarily;" bad sense of "on purpose" is attested from late 14c.
William: masc. proper name, from Old North French Willaume, Norman form of French Guillaume, of Germanic origin (cf. Old High German Willahelm), from willio "will" + helma "helmet." After the Conquest, the most popular given name in England until supplanted by John.
willies (n.): 1896, "spell of nervousness," perhaps from the woollies, a dialectal term for "nervous uneasiness," probably in reference to the itchiness of wool garments.
willing (adj.): Old English willendliche; see will (v.).
willow (n.): Old English welig, from Proto-Germanic *walg- (cf. Old Saxon wilgia, Middle Dutch wilghe, Dutch wilg), probably from PIE *wel- "to turn, roll," with derivatives referring to curved, enclosing objects. The change in form to -ow (14c.) paralleled that of bellow and fellow. The more typical Germanic word for the tree is represented by withy.
willowy (adj.): "flexible and graceful," 1791, from willow + -y (2). Related: Willowiness.
willpower (n.): also will power, 1874, from will (n.) + power (n.).
willy-nilly: c.1600, contraction of will I, nill I, or will he, nill he, or will ye, nill ye, literally "with or without the will of the person concerned." See nill + will (v.).
wilt (v.): 1690s, probably an alteration of welk "to wilt," probably from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German welken "to wither," cognate with Old High German irwelhen "become soft." Related: Wilted; wilting.
wily (adj.): c.1300, from wile + -ly (1). Related: Wiliness.
wimp (n.): 1920 (but not attested again until 1960), perhaps a clipped form of whimper (cf whimp, 1540s), perhaps influenced by J. Wellington Wimpy, comparatively unaggressive character in "Popeye" comics.
wimp (v.): 1986, with out (adv.), from wimp (n.). Related: Wimped; wimping.
wimple (n.): "head covering for women," especially worn by nuns, Old English wimpel, from Proto-Germanic *wimpilaz (cf. Old Saxon wimpal, Old Frisian wimpel, Middle Dutch, Dutch wimpel, Old High German wimpal, German wimpel, Old Norse vimpill), of obscure origin. Old French guimple (French guimpe) is a Germanic loan-word.
wimpy (adj.): 1967, from wimp (n.) + -y (2). Related: Wimpiness.
win (v.): fusion of Old English winnan "struggle for, work at, strive, fight," and gewinnan "to gain or succeed by struggling, to win," both from Proto-Germanic *wenwanan (cf. Old Saxon winnan, Old Norse vinna, Old Frisian winna, Dutch winnen "to gain, win," Danish vinde "to win," Old High German winnan "to strive, struggle, fight," German gewinnen "to gain, win," Gothic gawinnen "to suffer, toil"). Perhaps related to wish, or from PIE *van- "overcome, conquer." Related: Won; winning.

Sense of "to be victorious" is recorded from c.1300. Breadwinner preserves the sense of "toil" in Old English winnan. Phrase you can't win them all (1954) first attested in Raymond Chandler. Winningest is attested by 1804.
win (n.): Old English winn "labor, strife, conflict," from the source of win (v.). Modern sense of "a victory in a game or contest" is first attested 1862, from the verb.
wince (v.): early 13c., winch, probably from Old North French *wenchier (in Old French guenchir "to turn aside, avoid"), from Frankish *wenkjan, from Proto-Germanic *wankjan (cf. Old High German wankon "to stagger, totter," Old Norse vakka "to stray, hover;" see wink). Originally of horses. Modern form is attested from late 13c. Related: Winced; wincing.
winch (v.): "to hoist with a winch," 1520s, from winch (n.). Related: Winched; winching.
winch (n.): Old English wince, from Proto-Germanic *winkjo-, from PIE *weng- (see wink (v.)).
Winchester: city in Hampshire, capital of Wessex and later of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom, Old English Uintancæstir (c.730), from Ouenta (c.150), from Venta, a pre-Celtic name perhaps meaning "favored or chief place" + Old English ceaster "Roman town" (see Chester). The meaning "kind of breech-loading repeating rifle" is from the name of Oliver F. Winchester (1810-1880), U.S. manufacturer.
wind (n.1): "air in motion," Old English wind, from Proto-Germanic *wendas (cf. Old Saxon, Old Frisian, Middle Dutch, Dutch wind, Old Norse vindr, Old High German wind, German Wind, Gothic winds), from PIE *we-nt-o- "blowing," from root *we- "to blow" (cf. Sanskrit va-, Greek aemi-, Gothic waian, Old English wawan, Old High German wajan, German wehen, Old Church Slavonic vejati "to blow;" Sanskrit vatah, Avestan vata-, Hittite huwantis, Latin ventus, Old Church Slavonic vetru, Lithuanian vejas "wind;" Lithuanian vetra "tempest, storm;" Old Irish feth "air;" Welsh gwynt, Breton gwent "wind").

Normal pronunciation evolution made this word rhyme with kind and rind (Donne rhymes it with mind), but it shifted to a short vowel 18c., probably from influence of windy, where the short vowel is natural. A sad loss for poets, who now must rhyme it only with sinned and a handful of weak words. Symbolic of emptiness and vanity since late 13c.
I have forgot much, Cynara! gone with the wind. [Ernest Dowson, 1896]
Meaning "breath" is attested from late Old English; especially "breath in speaking" (early 14c.), so long-winded, also "easy or regular breathing" (early 14c.), hence second wind in the figurative sense (by 1830), an image from the sport of hunting.

Figurative phrase which way the wind blows for "the current state of affairs" is suggested from c.1400. To get wind of "receive information about" is by 1809, perhaps inspired by French avoir le vent de. To take the wind out of (one's) sails in the figurative sense (by 1883) is an image from sailing, where a ship without wind can make no progress. Wind-chill index is recorded from 1939. Wind energy from 1976. Wind vane from 1725.
wind (v.1): "move by turning and twisting," Old English windan "to turn, twist, wind" (class III strong verb; past tense wand, past participle wunden), from Proto-Germanic *wendanan (cf. Old Saxon windan, Old Norse vinda, Old Frisian winda, Dutch winden, Old High German wintan, German winden, Gothic windan "to wind"), from PIE *wendh- "to turn, wind, weave" (cf. Latin viere "twist, plait, weave," vincire "bind;" Lithuanian vyti "twist, wind").

Related to wend, which is its causative form, and to wander. Wind down "come to a conclusion" is recorded from 1952; wind up "come to a conclusion" is from 1825. Winding sheet "shroud of a corpse" is attested from early 15c.
wind (v.2): "to perceive by scent, get wind of," early 15c., from wind (n.1). Of horns, etc., "make sound by blowing through," from 1580s. Meaning "tire, put out of breath; render temporarily breathless by a blow or punch" is from 1811, originally in pugilism. Related: Winded; winding.
wind (n.2): "an act of winding round," 1825, from wind (v.1) . Earlier, "an apparatus for winding," late 14c., in which use perhaps from a North Sea Germanic word, e.g. Middle Dutch, Middle Low German winde "windlass."
windbag (n.): late 15c., "bellows for an organ," from wind (n.1) + bag (n.). Figurative sense of "person who talks too much" is attested from 1827.
windbreak (n.): also wind-break, "row of trees, etc., to break the force of the wind," 1861, American English, from wind (n.1) + break (n.).
windbreaker (n.): type of jacket to keep off the wind (originally a kind of leather shirt), 1918, from wind (n.1) + agent noun from break (v.).
windfall (n.): mid-15c., from wind (n.) + fall (n.1). Originally literal, in reference to wood or fruit blown down by the wind, and thus free to all. Figurative sense of "unexpected acquisition" is recorded from 1540s.
windhover (n.): "kestrel," 1670s, from wind (n.1) + hover; so called from the bird's habit of hovering in the wind. An earlier name for it was windfucker (1590s).
windlass (n.): device for raising weights by winding a rope round a cylinder, c.1400, alteration of wyndase (late 13c.), from Anglo-French windas, and directly from a Scandinavian source such as Old Norse vindass, from vinda "to wind" (see wind (v.1)) + ass "pole, beam."
windmill (n.): c.1300, from wind (n.1) + mill (n.). Cf. German Windmühle, Dutch windmolen, French moulin à vent (13c.). Verb meaning "to swing the arms wildly" is recorded from 1927.
window (n.): early 13c., literally "wind eye," from Old Norse vindauga, from vindr "wind" (see wind (n.1)) + auga "eye. (see eye (n.)). Replaced Old English eagþyrl, literally "eye-hole," and eagduru, literally "eye-door."

Originally an unglazed hole in a roof, most Germanic languages adopted a version of Latin fenestra to describe the glass version, and English used fenester as a parallel word till mid-16c. Window dressing is first recorded 1790; figurative sense is from 1898. Window seat is attested from 1778. Window-shopping is recorded from 1922. Window of opportunity (1979) is from earlier figurative use in U.S. space program, e.g. launch window (1965).
windowsill (n.): 1703, from window (n.) + sill (n.).
windpipe (n.): "trachea," 1520s, from wind (n.1) in the "breath" sense + pipe (n.1).
windrow (n.): 1520s, from wind (n.1) + row (n.). Because it is exposed to the wind for drying.
windshield (n.): 1902, from wind (n.1) + shield (n.). U.S. alternative to British windscreen (attested from 1905 in this sense).
windsock (n.): 1929, from wind (n.1) + sock (n.).
Windsor: town in Berkshire, Old English Windlesoran (c.1060), literally "bank or slope with a windlass" (Old English *windels). Site of a royal residence, hence Windsor chair (1724), Windsor tie (1895), Windsor knot in a necktie (1953).
windsurf (v.): also wind-surf, 1969, from wind (n.1) + surf (v.). Related: Windsurfed; windsurfing.
windswept (adj.): 1932, originally of hair, from wind (n.1) + past participle of sweep.
windward: 1540s, from wind (n.) + -ward.