wistful

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈwɪstfəl/^[1]

Etymology

It is probably from obsolete wistly “intently”^[2][3][4][5] and the suffix -ful,^[3][6] perhaps on the model of wishful.^[4][5] Wistly is of uncertain origin.^[3][4] Random House derives it instead from obsolete wist “quiet, attentive”, a variant of whist.^[6]

Earliest recorded meaning

Closely attentive, intent (1613–16).^[7][3][4]

Semantic evolution

The sense of being yearningly eager or mournfully longing appeared in 1714,^[7][3][4][5] chiefly of looks.^[7] The first sense is obsolete.^[7] Etymonline notes that an earlier Middle English wistful meaning “well-supplied” is a different word.^[4]

Timeline

• before 1500 – wistly, intently.^[3]
• 1613–16 – closely attentive, now obsolete.^[7][3]
• 1714 – yearning, wistful.^[7][3][4][5]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Full of yearning or longing tinged with sadness.
2. Pensive and sad; melancholy.

Word family

• wistfully
• wistfulness

Usage notes

Random House gives reflective, musing, meditative and forlorn as synonyms.^[6]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d e f Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press