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—wisher, n. —wishless, adj./wish/, v.t.1. to want; desire; long for (usually fol. by an infinitive or a clause): I wish to travel. I wish that it were morning.2. to desire (a person or thing) to be (as specified): to wish the problem settled.3. to entertain wishes, favorably or otherwise, for: to wish someone well; to wish someone ill.4. to bid, as in greeting or leave-taking: to wish someone a good morning.5. to request or charge: I wish him to come.v.i.6. to desire; long; yearn (often fol. by for): Mother says I may go if I wish. I wished for a book.7. to make a wish: She wished more than she worked.8. wish on,a. to force or impose (usually used in the negative): I wouldn't wish that awful job on my worst enemy.b. Also, wish upon. to make a wish using some object as a magical talisman: to wish on a star.n.9. an act or instance of wishing.10. a request or command: I was never forgiven for disregarding my father's wishes.11. an expression of a wish, often one of a kindly or courteous nature: to send one's best wishes.12. something wished or desired: He got his wish - a new car.[bef. 900; (v.) ME wisshen, OE wyscan; c. G wünschen, ON aeskja; akin to OE wynn joy (see WINSOME), L venus charm (see VENUS); (n.) ME, deriv. of the v.]Syn. 1. crave. WISH, DESIRE, WANT indicate a longing for something. To WISH is to feel an impulse toward attainment or possession of something; the strength of the feeling may be of greater or lesser intensity: I wish I could go home. DESIRE, a more formal word, suggests a strong wish: They desire a new regime. WANT, usually colloquial in use, suggests a feeling of lack or need that imperatively demands fulfillment: People all over the world want peace. 5. direct, order. 8. will, want.
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Universalium. 2010.
