Envy | Webster's Dictionary (1865)

En'vy, v. t.

verbtransitive

v. t. [imp. & p. p. ENVIED; p. pr. & vb. n. ENVYING.] [Fr. envier, Pr. enveiar, Sp. envidiar, Pg. invejar, It. invidiare. See infra.] 1. To look with grudging or invidious eyes upon; to regard with discontent and malevolent longing, as some enjoyable thing which a person dislikes to see another have possession of, and would have himself; to be filled with ignoble repining at beholding; — followed by an objective of the person toward whom the feeling is entertained, or of the thing which excites envy, or by a dative of the former, and an objective of the latter; as, he envies him for his superior wealth; they envy his wealth; or they envy (to) him his wealth. A woman does not envy a man for his fighting courage, nor a man a woman for her beauty. Collier. Whoever envies another confesses his superiority. Rambler. 2. To be filled with emulation at sight of; to desire to possess or resemble; not to endure willingly. “Each other's equal puissance envies.” Spenser. 3. To long after vehemently; to desire strongly; to covet. Or climb his knee the envied kiss to share. Gray. 4. To do harm to; to injure. [Obs.] If I make a lie To gain your love and envy my best mistress, Put me against a wall. J. Fletcher.

En'vy, v. i.

verbintransitive

v. i. To be filled with envious feelings; to regard any thing with grudging and longing eyes; — used especially with at. Thronged to the lists, and envied to behold The names of others, not their own, enrolled. Dryden. Them who envy at the prosperity of the wicked. Bp. Taylor.

En'vy, n.

noun

n. [Fr. envie, Pr. enveia, Sp. envidia, Pg. inveja, It. invidia, Lat. invidia, from invidus, envious, from invidere, to see against, to look askance at, to look with enmity, from in, against, and videre, to see.]

Sense 1. Pain, uneasiness, mortification, or discontent excited by the sight of another’s superiority or success, accompanied with some degree of hatred or malignity, and often or usually with a desire or an effort to depreciate the person, or with pleasure in seeing him depressed;—usually followed by of, sometimes by to: as, they did this in envy of Cæsar, or in envy to his genius. “The bliss enjoyed by us excites his envy.” Milton.

Envy, to which the ignoble mind’s a slave, Is emulation in the learned or brave. Pope.

Sense 2. Unwillingness to be excelled; emulation.

Such as cleanliness and decency Prompt to a virtuous envy. Ford.

Sense 3. Odium; ill repute; invidiousness. [Obs.]

To discharge the king of the envy of that opinion. Bacon.

Sense 4. Ill-will; malice.

You turn the good we offer into envy. Shak.

Sense 5. An object of envious notice or feeling; as, he became the delight of the ladies, and the envy of the beaux. Swift.