willekeur

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word willekeur. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word willekeur, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say willekeur in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word willekeur you have here. The definition of the word willekeur will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofwillekeur, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.

Dutch

Etymology

From Middle Dutch willecore. By surface analysis, wil (will, desire) +‎ -e- +‎ keur (choice); thus roughly translatable as "choice at will".

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈʋɪ.ləˌkøːr/
  • Audio:(file)
  • Hyphenation: wil‧le‧keur

Noun

willekeur c (plural willekeuren)

  1. (often derogatory) caprice, capriciousness, arbitrariness
  2. (law) arbitrariness, arbitrary decision-making
    • 2011 January 4, Pieter Hilhorst, de Volkskrant:
      Zo is het een straf waar geen rechter aan te pas komt. Een winkelier kan de dief of overlastgever eigenhandig een verbod opleggen. Dat is een uitnodiging tot willekeur. De ene winkeldief krijgt een collectief winkelverbod, de andere winkeldief niet.
      That way, it is a punishment that does not involve a judge. A retailer can ban the thief or agitator by himself. That is an invitation to arbitrary decision-making. One shoplifter gets a chain store ban, the other shoplifter doesn't.

Derived terms