the verb 'want' originates from the old norse 'vanta', meaning 'to be lacking', which itself is related to the old english 'wanian', meaning 'to lessen or diminish'. this sense of deficiency evolved through middle english to encompass the idea of desire for something that is lacking. the participial adjective 'wanted' thus carries the dual modern connotations of something that is desired (to fill an absence) and, in a legal context, a person who is lacking or absent from custody and is therefore sought. the journey from a term denoting absence to one signifying active pursuit illustrates a classic semantic shift from a state of being to an associated action.

the word is a past participle and adjective formed from the verb 'want'. it is not productively segmented into smaller meaningful morphemes in modern english.