envious

the word 'envious' traces its lineage to the latin concept of looking upon something with ill will. it originates from the latin verb 'invidere', a compound of 'in-' (upon, against) and 'videre' (to see), literally meaning 'to look askance at, to view with malice'. this evolved into the noun 'invidia', denoting the feeling of envy, which passed into old french as 'envie'. the english adjective was formed by appending the latin-derived suffix '-ous', meaning 'full of', to the french root, creating a word that literally means 'full of envy'. thus, the modern abstract meaning of covetously regarding another's advantages is built upon the ancient, literal act of seeing with a hostile gaze.

Structure: envi (to see, to regard) + ous (adjective-forming suffix) envi is from old french 'envie', meaning 'envy, jealousy', ultimately from latin 'invidia' (envy, jealousy), from the verb 'invidere' (to look at with malice, to envy), itself from 'in-' (upon, against) + 'videre' (to see). ous is a suffix of latin origin via old french, used to form adjectives meaning 'full of, having the qualities of'.