Etymology : Middle English wisshen, from Old English wyscan; akin to Old High German wunsken to wish, Sanskrit vAñchati he wishes, vanoti he strives for; more at WIN
Pronunciation : wish
Function : verb
Date : before 12th century
1. desire; request; ambition; expression of desire; expression of a request; blessing, greeting. desire; yearn, hope; aspire; greet; bless; command. wish\wish\ , v. t.
2. to desire; to long for; to hanker after; to have a mind or disposition toward. i would not wish any companion in the world but you. i wish above all things that thou mayest prosper. -.
3. john.
4. 2. to frame or express desires concerning; to invoke in favor of, or against, any one; to attribute, or cal down, in desire; to invoke; to imprecate. i would not wish them to a fairer death. i wish it may not prove some ominous foretoken of misfortune to have met with such a miser as i am. sidney. let them be driven backward, and put to shame, that wish me evil. xl.
5. 3. to recommend; to seek confidence or favor in behalf of. [obs.] i would be glad to thrive, sir, and i was wished to your worship by a gentleman. jonson.
6. To have a desire or yearning; to long; to hanker.
7. To desire; to long for; to hanker after; to have a mind or disposition toward.
8. To frame or express desires concerning; to invoke in favor of, or against, any one; to attribute, or cal down, in desire; to invoke; to imprecate.
9. To recommend; to seek confidence or favor in behalf of.
10. Desire; eager desire; longing.
11. Expression of desire; request; petition; hence, invocation or imprecation.
12. A thing desired; an object of desire. the particular preference that you have; "it was his last wish"; "they should respect the wishes of the people" an expression of some desire or inclination; "I could tell that it was his wish that the guests leave"; "his crying was an indirect request for attention" a specific feeling of desire; "he got his wish"; "he was above all wishing and desire" invoke upon; "wish you a nice evening"; "bid farewell" order politely; express a wish for make or express a wish; "I wish that Christmas were over" hope for; have a wish; "I wish I could go home now" feel or express a desire or hope concerning the future or fortune of prefer or wish to do something; "Do you care to try this dish?"; "Would you like to come along to the movies?".
13. 1. A wish is a desire or strong feeling that you want to have something or do something. Clearly she had no wish for conversation She wanted to go everywhere in the world. She soon got her wish The decision was made against the wishes of the party leader. see also:
death wish.
14. If you wish to do something or to have it done for you, you want to do it or have it done. If you wish to go away for the weekend, our office will be delighted to make hotel reservations We can dress as we wish now There were the collaborators, who wished for a German victory.
15. If you wish something were true, you would like it to be true, even though you know that it is impossible or unlikely. I wish I could do that The world is not always what we wish it to be.
16. If you wish for something, you express the desire for that thing silently to yourself. In fairy stories, when a person wishes for something, the thing they wish for often happens by magic. We have all wished for men who are more considerate Wish is also a noun. Blow out the candles and make a wish.
17. If you say that you would not wish a particular thing on someone, you mean that the thing is so unpleasant that you would not want them to be forced to experience it. It's a horrid experience and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy.
18. If you wish someone something such as luck or happiness, you express the hope that they will be lucky or happy. I wish you both a very good journey Goodbye, Hanu. I wish you well.
19. politeness If you express your good wishes towards someone, you are politely expressing your friendly feelings towards them and your hope that they will be successful or happy. I found George's story very sad. Please give him my best wishes.