Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “envy” come from?

Envy comes from Middle English envie, from Old French envie, from Latin invidia, formed from Latin in- plus videre meaning "to see," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European ne.

envy (English): Resentful desire of something possessed by...

Definitions

  1. Resentful desire of something possessed by...

Ancestry of “envy”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishenvieill-will, hatred, enmity, hostility; spite,...
2Old Frenchenvie—
3Latininvidiaenvy, grudge, jealousy, prejudice, spite; an...
4Latininvidusenvious; hostile, inimical
5LatininvideoI look askance or maliciously at, cast an evil...
6Latinīn-—
7Latinîn—
8Latinenlookǃ beholdǃ; reallyǃ?; come onǃ
9Proto-Italicenin
10Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁énin

Words derived from “envy”

  • envieth
  • envier
  • enviest
  • envyfree
  • envyful
  • envysome
  • envyfreeness
  • envy-free
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁én →