envy,
envy /ˈenvē/ I. noun 1. a feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else's possessions, qualities, or luck • she felt a twinge of envy for the people on board. 2. (the envy of) — a person or thing that inspires envy • their national health service is the envy of many in Europe. II. verb — [with obj.] 1. desire to have a quality, possession, or other desirable attribute belonging to (someone else) • he envied people who did not have to work on weekends • [with two objs.] I envy Jane her happiness. 2. desire for oneself (something possessed or enjoyed by another) • a lifestyle that most of us would envy. III. derivatives envier /ˈenvēər / noun – origin Middle English (also in the sense ‘hostility, enmity’): from Old French envie (noun), envier (verb), from Latin invidia, from invidere ‘regard maliciously, grudge,’ from in- ‘into’ + videre ‘to see.’
