Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “wish” come from?

Wish comes from Middle English wischen, from Old English wȳsċan, from Proto-West Germanic wunskijan, from Proto-Germanic wunskijaną, from Proto-Indo-European wun- with the suffix -yeti.

wish (English): A desire, hope, or longing for something or for...

Definitions

  1. A desire, hope, or longing for something or for...

Ancestry of “wish”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishfischAn animal that inhabits the water or the meat of...
2Old Englishfisċfish
3Proto-West Germanicfiskfish
4Proto-Germanicfiskazfish
5Indo-European*peysk-—

Words derived from “wish”

  • wishful
  • wisher
  • wishbone
  • wishest
  • wishfully
  • wishfulness
  • wishlist
  • deathwish
  • wishless
  • unwishful
  • unwish
  • illwisher
  • wishable
  • wishbook
  • forewish
  • ill-wisher
  • unwishfully
  • unwishfulness
  • outwish
  • bewish
Every word from Indo-European *peysk- →