wish
verb
- feel desire for a specific item or event
noun
- desire
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈwɪʃ/ / [ˈwɪʃ]
name
- A surname.
“There was Evans, and that marvel among actors, Wish, who is also a modest man. We had all come down to the Mermaid Club that Saturday morning, except Clayton, who had slept there overnight […]”
noun
Etymology: From Middle English wisshen, wischen, wüschen, from Old English wȳsċan (“to wish”), from Proto-West Germanic *wunskijan, from Proto-Germanic *wunskijaną (“to wish”), from Proto-Indo-European *wenh₁- (“to wish, love”). Cognate with Scots wis (“to wish”), Saterland Frisian wonskje (“to wish”), West Frisian winskje (“to wish”), Dutch wensen (“to wish”), German wünschen (“to wish”), Luxembourgish wënschen (“to wish”), Yiddish ווינטשן (vintshn, “to wish”), Danish and Norwegian Bokmål ønske (“to wish”), Faroese ynskja (“to wish, to desire”), Icelandic æskja, óska (“to wish”), Norwegian Nynorsk ønskja, ønskje, ønska, ønske, ynskja, ynskje (“to wish, to desire”), Swedish önska (“to wish”). Via PIE cognate with Latin Venus, veneror (“venerate, honour, love”), English wonder.
- A desire, hope, or longing for something or for something to happen.
“It is my wish that the bequest (should) be given to an almshouse.”
“make someone's wish come true”
- An expression of such a desire, often connected with ideas of magic and supernatural power.
“make a wish”
“LESTER: You believe in wishes? I mean, you believe they come true? CHESTER: Nah. I believe in wishes, but I don't believe they come true. Not unless it's a real easy wish, like "I wish I was at a birthday party." But you gotta blow out all the candles, or else the wish don't come true. If one candle stays lit, you don't get your wish.”
- The thing desired or longed for.
“My dearest wish is to see them happily married.”
“You have my best wishes.”
- A water meadow.
verb
Etymology: From Middle English wisshen, wischen, wüschen, from Old English wȳsċan (“to wish”), from Proto-West Germanic *wunskijan, from Proto-Germanic *wunskijaną (“to wish”), from Proto-Indo-European *wenh₁- (“to wish, love”). Cognate with Scots wis (“to wish”), Saterland Frisian wonskje (“to wish”), West Frisian winskje (“to wish”), Dutch wensen (“to wish”), German wünschen (“to wish”), Luxembourgish wënschen (“to wish”), Yiddish ווינטשן (vintshn, “to wish”), Danish and Norwegian Bokmål ønske (“to wish”), Faroese ynskja (“to wish, to desire”), Icelandic æskja, óska (“to wish”), Norwegian Nynorsk ønskja, ønskje, ønska, ønske, ynskja, ynskje (“to wish, to desire”), Swedish önska (“to wish”). Via PIE cognate with Latin Venus, veneror (“venerate, honour, love”), English wonder.
- To desire; to want.
“I'll come tomorrow, if you wish (it).”
“I wish it to be known that I wish them all to leave the company.”
- To hope (+ object clause with may or in present subjunctive).
“I wish he mean me well, that he takes so much pains!”
“She hears that Miss Bigg is to be married in a fortnight. I wish it may be so.”
- To hope (for a particular outcome), even if that outcome is unlikely to occur or cannot occur.
“This is as good an argument as an antiquary could wish for.”
“Mr. White took the paw from his pocket and eyed it dubiously. "I don't know what to wish for, and that's a fact," he said slowly. "It seems to me I've got all I want."”
- To bestow (a thought or gesture) towards (someone or something).
“We wish you a merry Christmas.”
“I would not wish them to a fairer death.”
- To request or desire to do an activity.
“Anyone who wishes to may leave now.”
“Energy has seldom been found where we need it when we want it. Ancient nomads, wishing to ward off the evening chill and enjoy a meal around a campfire, had to collect wood and then spend time and effort coaxing the heat of friction out from between sticks to kindle a flame. With more settled people, animals were harnessed to capstans or caged in treadmills to turn grist into meal.”
- To recommend; to seek confidence or favour on behalf of.
“I was wished to your worship by a gentleman.”
“Farewell: yet for the loue I beare my sweet Bianca, if I can by any meanes light on a fit man to teach her that wherein she delights, I will wish him to her father.”