English
wish
Wish comes from Middle English wisshen ‘to want, desire, long for’, from Old English wȳsċan ‘to wish’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *wenh₁-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wenh₁-‘to wish’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wunskijaną‘to wish’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*wunskijan‘to wish’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150wȳsċan‘to wish’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500wisshen‘to want’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1590–1592wish
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*wenh₁-‘to wish’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*wunskijaną‘to wish’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*wunskijan‘to wish’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150wȳsċan‘to wish’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500wisshen‘to want’
- Englishearliest quotation c. 1590–1592wish
Earliest quotation: c. 1590–1592, William Shakespeare, The Taming of the Shrew: “Farewell: yet for the loue I beare my sweet…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *wenh₁- ‘to wish, love’
won, wonder, win, wont, venom, wen, venerable, wynn, wean, ween, venereal, venerate, winsome, 18 more
Today it means
noun A desire, hope, or longing for something or for something to happen.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *wenh₁- / wish