Where does “wistful” come from?

Wistful comes from earlier English whistful, which derives from Proto-Indo-European pl̥h₁nós, a root meaning full or abundant.

wistful (English): Full of longing or yearning; Sad and thoughtful

Definitions

  1. Full of longing or yearning; Sad and thoughtful

Ancestry of “wistful”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishwhistfulAlternative form of wistful
2EnglishwhistAny of several four-player card games, similar to...
3Middle Englishwhistsilent

Words derived from “wistful”

Every word from Middle English whist →