Envy

How to spell envy

4 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce envy

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does envy mean?

1. nounA feeling of discontented longing aroused by someone else's possessions, qualities, or success.
2. verbTo feel discontented longing for someone else's advantages, possessions, or success.

Envy in a sentence

• noun

  Her flawless presentation filled the rest of the team with envy.

• verb

  I envy the calm way she handles every deadline at work.

• noun

  He felt a pang of envy when his neighbour parked a brand new car outside.

• verb

  Many colleagues openly envy his ability to travel for months at a time.

Where does envy come from?

Language of origin: Latin

Envy comes from the Latin invidia, meaning 'ill will' or 'grudging resentment', which was built from the verb invidere, literally 'to look upon' someone with malice. That verb joins in- ('upon' or 'against') with videre ('to see'), so the original image is of casting a hostile or grudging glance at another person's good fortune. The Romans even spoke of the 'evil eye' in this way, the idea that staring enviously could harm what you coveted. The word travelled into English in the 1200s through Old French envie, which had smoothed the Latin form down to two syllables, and English kept that compact shape. Because the spelling lost the visible videre root, the silent 'e' was dropped and the 'i' became a 'y', leaving the short, deceptively simple envy we use today.

How the word is built

• en- (in, upon; from Latin in-)
• vy (from videre, to see; via invidia)