1849: wistful Jan 7, 2020

Although today the word 'wistful' relates to emotion, and specifically longing, this has not always been the case. Indeed, the word 'wist'—while generally uncommon today—was originally the past participle of 'wit', meaning knowledge, but another form, 'wistly', meant 'intently'. How it got to the point where it is now, no one knows, but many attribute its form to an association with 'wishful', and its prefered use in poetry.

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