wishing

Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
wish/wɪʃ/

▶verb

• 1 desire something that cannot or probably will not happen.

• 2 want to do something.

  ■ ask (someone) to do something or that (something) be done.

• 3 express a hope that (someone) has (happiness or success).

  ■ (wish someone/thing on) hope that (someone) has to deal with someone or something undesirable.

▶noun

• 1 a desire or hope, or an expression of this.

  ■ (wishes) an expression of a hope for someone's happiness, success, or welfare.

• 2 a thing wished for.

– derivatives
-wisher noun.

– origin OE wȳscan, of Gmc origin; rel. to ween and wont.