wish

Etymology

From Middle English wisshen, wischen, wüschen, from Old English wȳsċan (“to wish”), from Proto-West Germanic *wunskijan, from Proto-Germanic *wunskijaną (“to wish”), from Proto-Indo-European *wenh₁- (“to wish, love”). Cognate with Scots wis (“to wish”), Saterland Frisian wonskje (“to wish”), West Frisian winskje (“to wish”), Dutch wensen (“to wish”), German wünschen (“to wish”), Danish ønske (“to wish”), Icelandic æskja, óska (“to wish”), Latin Venus, veneror (“venerate, honour, love”).

noun

1. A desire, hope, or longing for something or for something to happen.
   have a wish
   make someone's wish come true
   Send this message to six beings of your acquaintance, and your greatest wish shall come true! 2010, BioWare, Mass Effect 2 (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: IT COULD HAPPEN TO YOU!
2. An expression of such a desire, often connected with ideas of magic and supernatural power.
   make a wish
   LESTER: You believe in wishes? I mean, you believe they come true? CHESTER: Nah. I believe in wishes, but I don't believe they come true. Not unless it's a real easy wish, like "I wish I was at a birthday party." But you gotta blow out all the candles, or else the wish don't come true. If one candle stays lit, you don't get your wish. 2004, George Carlin, When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops?, New York: Hyperion Books, →OCLC, →OL, page 237
3. The thing desired or longed for.
   My dearest wish is to see them happily married.
   "I suppose all old soldiers are the same," said Mrs White. "The idea of our listening to such nonsense! How could wishes be granted in these days? And if they could, how could two hundred pounds hurt you, father?" / "Might drop on his head from the sky," said the frivolous Herbert. 1901, W. W. Jacobs, The Monkey's Paw
4. (Sussex) A water meadow.

verb

1. (transitive) To desire; to want.
   I'll come tomorrow, if you wish it.
   Showing the population what we wish them to be is the best way for them to change. May 13 2018, Justin King, “How to Fix the Storylines of Film and Television”, in Return of Kings
   Now John the butler must be sent To learn the road that Phyllis went: The groom was wished to saddle Crop; For John must neither light nor stop, But find her, wheresoe'er she fled, And bring her back alive or dead. 1716, Jonathan Swift, Phyllis, or the Progress of Love
   Yesterday, upon the stair / I met a man who wasn’t there / He wasn’t there again today / I wish, I wish he’d go away … 1899, Hughes Mearns, Antigonish
2. (transitive, now rare) To hope (+ object clause with may or in present subjunctive).
   She hears that Miss Bigg is to be married in a fortnight. I wish it may be so. 1808, Jane Austen, letter, 1 October
3. (intransitive, followed by for) To hope (for a particular outcome), even if that outcome is unlikely to occur or cannot occur.
   This is as good an argument as an antiquary could wish for. 1727, John Arbuthnot, Tables of Ancient Coins, Weights and Measures
   Mr. White took the paw from his pocket and eyed it dubiously. "I don't know what to wish for, and that's a fact," he said slowly. "It seems to me I've got all I want." 1901, W. W. Jacobs, The Monkey's Paw
   I wish I could go back in time and teach myself what I know now.
4. (ditransitive) To bestow (a thought or gesture) towards (someone or something).
   We wish you a Merry Christmas.
5. (intransitive, followed by to and an infinitive) To request or desire to do an activity.
   Energy has seldom been found where we need it when we want it. Ancient nomads, wishing to ward off the evening chill and enjoy a meal around a campfire, had to collect wood and then spend time and effort coaxing the heat of friction out from between sticks to kindle a flame. With more settled people, animals were harnessed to capstans or caged in treadmills to turn grist into meal. 2013 July-August, Henry Petroski, “Geothermal Energy”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 4
6. (transitive) To recommend; to seek confidence or favour on behalf of.