different between wish vs prospect

English

Etymology

From Middle English wisshen, wischen, wüschen, from Old English w?s?an (“to wish”), from Proto-West Germanic *wunskijan, from Proto-Germanic *wunskijan? (“to wish”), from Proto-Indo-European *wun-, *wenh?- (“to wish, love”).

Cognate with Scots wis (“to wish”), Saterland Frisian wonskje (“to wish”), West Frisian winskje (“to wish”), Dutch wensen (“to wish”), German wünschen (“to wish”), Danish ønske (“to wish”), Icelandic æskja, óska (“to wish”), Latin Venus, veneror (“venerate, honour, love”).

Pronunciation

• enPR: w?sh, IPA^(key): /w??/
• Rhymes: -??
• Homophone: whish (in accents with the wine-whine merger)

Noun

wish (plural wishes)

1. A desire, hope, or longing for something or for something to happen.
2. An expression of such a desire, often connected with ideas of magic and supernatural power.
3. The thing desired or longed for.
   • 1901, W. W. Jacobs, The Monkey's Paw

     "I suppose all old soldiers are the same," said Mrs White. "The idea of our listening to such nonsense! How could wishes be granted in these days? And if they could, how could two hundred pounds hurt you, father?" / "Might drop on his head from the sky," said the frivolous Herbert.

4. (Sussex) A water meadow.

Usage notes

• Collocates with make for the common expression make a wish. See Appendix:Collocations of do, have, make, and take

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• precatory
• velleity

Verb

wish (third-person singular simple present wishes, present participle wishing, simple past and past participle wished)

1. (transitive) To desire; to want.
   • 1716, Jonathan Swift, Phyllis, or the Progress of Love

     Now John the butler must be sent
     To learn the road that Phyllis went:
     The groom was wished to saddle Crop;
     For John must neither light nor stop,
     But find her, wheresoe'er she fled,
     And bring her back alive or dead.
2. (transitive, now rare) To hope (+ object clause with may or in present subjunctive).
   • 1748, Samuel Richardson, Clarissa, Letter 84:

     I wish he mean me well, that he takes so much pains!

   • 1808, Jane Austen, letter, 1 October:

     She hears that Miss Bigg is to be married in a fortnight. I wish it may be so.

3. (intransitive, followed by for) To hope (for a particular outcome).
   • 1727, John Arbuthnot, Tables of Ancient Coins, Weights and Measures

     This is as good an argument as an antiquary could wish for.

   • 1901, W. W. Jacobs, The Monkey's Paw

     Mr. White took the paw from his pocket and eyed it dubiously. "I don't know what to wish for, and that's a fact," he said slowly. "It seems to me I've got all I want."

4. (ditransitive) To bestow (a thought or gesture) towards (someone or something).
   • Let them be driven backward, and put to shame, that wish me evil.

5. (intransitive, followed by to and an infinitive) To request or desire to do an activity.
6. (transitive) To recommend; to seek confidence or favour on behalf of.
   • 1610, Ben Jonson, The Alchemist

     I was wished to your worship by a gentleman.

Usage notes

• In sense 4, this is a catenative verb that takes the to infinitive. See Appendix:English catenative verbs

Derived terms

Translations

References

• wish at OneLook Dictionary Search
• wish in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

English

Etymology

From Latin prospectus, past participle of prospicere (“to look forward”), from pro (“before, forward”) + specere, spicere (“to look, to see”), equivalent to pro- +? -spect

Pronunciation

• (noun)
  • (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?p??sp?kt/
  • (General American) enPR: präs?p?kt, IPA^(key): /?p??sp?kt/
• (verb)
  • (Received Pronunciation) enPR: pr?-sp?kt?, IPA^(key): /p???sp?kt/
  • (General American) enPR: präs?p?kt, IPA^(key): /?p??sp?kt/
• Rhymes: -?kt
• Hyphenation: pros?pect

Noun

prospect (plural prospects)

1. The region which the eye overlooks at one time; view; scene; outlook.
2. A picturesque or panoramic view; a landscape; hence, a sketch of a landscape.
3. A position affording a fine view; a lookout.
4. Relative position of the front of a building or other structure; face; relative aspect.

   • Their prospect was toward the south.

5. The act of looking forward; foresight; anticipation.

   • a very ill prospect of a future state

   • 1663, John Tillotson, The Wisdom of being Religious

     Is he a prudent man as to his temporal estate, that lays designs only for a day, without any prospect to, or provision for, the remaining part of life?

6. The potential things that may come to pass, often favorable.
7. A hope; a hopeful.
8. (sports) Any player whose rights are owned by a top-level professional team, but who has yet to play a game for said team.
9. (sales) A potential client or customer.
10. (music) The façade of an organ.

Translations

Verb

prospect (third-person singular simple present prospects, present participle prospecting, simple past and past participle prospected)

1. (intransitive) To search, as for gold.
2. (geology, mining) To determine which minerals or metals are present in a location.

Translations

Anagrams

• croppest

Romanian

Etymology

From German Prospekt

Noun

prospect n (plural prospecte)

1. brochure

Declension