enviable

The word 'enviable' is a relatively modern English formation, built upon the established noun 'envy'. Its core, the Latin 'invidia', stems from the verb 'invidere' meaning "to look at with malice, to envy," itself a compound of 'in-' (upon, against) and 'videre' (to see). This literal sense of "looking upon" someone with ill-will evolved into the abstract feeling of resentment at another's good fortune. By appending the suffix '-able', meaning "worthy of," to the Anglicized root 'envi', the word's meaning shifted from the active feeling of envy to the passive quality of an object or situation that is so desirable it is capable of provoking that feeling in others.

Structure: envi (envy) + able (adjective suffix) - envi: From Old French 'envie' (envy, desire), from Latin 'invidia' (envy, jealousy). This is the core root conveying the sense of "envy". - able: A productive English suffix from Old French '-able', from Latin '-abilis', meaning "capable of, worthy of, or tending to". It forms adjectives.