Forms: 3–7 envie, envye, (4 envi, enevi, envyȝe, enwie, 5 inwy(e, 4–6 invy), 3– envy. [a. F. envie, corresp. to Pr. enveia, Cat. enveja, Pg. inveja, Sp. envidia, It. invidia:—L. invidia, f. invid-us envious, related to invidēre to look maliciously upon, to envy, f. in upon + vidēre to see.]
† 1. Malignant or hostile feeling; ill-will, malice, enmity. Obs.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 15389. Of all venime and eneui ful kindeld vp he ras.
c. 1300. Seyn Julian, 88. Ich [Belial] made þoru a lutel enuye þat on sle þat oðer.
c. 1400. Ywaine & Gaw., 3522. So grete envy … bitwix tham twa was than.
c. 1430. Syr Gener., 5266. To him he had so grete envie.
1526. Skelton, Magnyf., 1989. Full fewe but they have envy at me.
1596. Shaks., Merch. V., IV. i. 10. No lawful meanes can carrie me Out of enuies reach.
1611. Bible, Mark xv. 10. For hee knew that the chiefe Priests had deliuered him for enuie.
1640. Queen of Arragon, II. i. in Hazl., Dodsley, XIII. 355. Misfortune brings Sorrow enough; ’tis envy to ourselves T’augment it by prediction.
1707. E. Ward, Hud. Rediv. (1715), II. ix. In Naseby-Fields both Armies met, Their Envy, like their Numbers, great.
† b. Unwillingness, reluctance. Obs. rare.
1557. North, trans. Gueuara’s Diall of Princes, 185 b/1. For speaking the truth: the man which hath enuy to seme olde doth delite to liue in the lightnes of youth.
† c. Odium, unpopularity, opprobrium; used to translate L. invidia. Obs.
1598. Grenewey, Tacitus’ Ann., I. x. (1612), 19. As well the fact, as the enuie of it, should light vpon their owne necks.
1622. Bacon, Hen. VII., 100. This Taxe (called Beneuolence) was deuised by EDWARD the Fourth, for which hee sustained much Enuie.
1651. Fuller’s Abel Rediv., Calvin, 278. This accident procured great envie unto Calvin from all places.
1679. Burnet, Hist. Ref., I. II. 62. He had the Legates between him and the Envy or Odium of it.
† 2. Active evil, harm, mischief. Obs.
a. 1400[?]. Chester Pl. (Shaks. Soc.), 199. Envye doe by no woman, To doe her shame by nighte nor daie.
c. 1400. Apol. Loll., 26. Discese & oþer enuyes.
c. 1460. Battle Otterbourne, in Percy, Reliq., 46. Yf thou hast haryed all Bamborowe shyre, Thou hast done me grete envye.
3. The feeling of mortification and ill-will occasioned by the contemplation of superior advantages possessed by another. Const. † at, of, † to, † upon (persons), at, of (things). Phrases, to feel († have) envy.
c. 1280. Fall & Passion, in E. E. P. (1862), 13. To him þe deuil had envie, þat he in his stid schold be broȝte.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 27694 (Cott.). He þat by caus of enuy werrayes anoþer wrangwisly.
a. 1340. Hampole, Psalter ii. 10. Enuye couaitis, iolifte & oþer vices.
c. 1386. Chaucer, Knt.’s T., 49. Have ye so gret envye Of myn honour?
1393. Langl., P. Pl., C. XXIII. 246. Haueþ non enuye To lerede ne to lewide.
a. 1440. Relig. Pieces fr. Thornton MS., 23. Envy … es joye of oþer mens harme and sorowe of oþer mens welefare.
1475. Caxton, Jason, 77. Zethephius began to haue enuy vpon the king appollo.
1540. Hyrde, trans. Vives’ Instr. Chr. Wom. (1592), X j. It is much more shame to have envy at other for mony, clothings, or possessions.
1588. A. King, trans. Canisius’ Catech., 143. Invy at our brothers charitie.
1601. Shaks., Jul. C., V. v. 70. All the Conspirators saue onely hee, Did that they did, in enuy of great Cæsar.
1611. Bible, Transl. Pref., ¶ 2. Enuie striketh most spitefully at the fairest, and at the cheifest.
1684. Winstanley, in Shaks. C. Praise, 400. Honour is always attended on by Envy.
1737. Whiston, Josephus’ Antiq., I. xviii. § 2. He was hindered … by his envy at him.
1836. H. Smith, Tin Trumpet (1876), 145. Envy—punishing ourselves for being inferior to our neighbours.
1875. Jowett, Plato (ed. 2), V. 75. Let every man contend in the race without envy.
† b. In the phrase to envy, i.e., to such a point as to excite envy; to the heart’s content; to admiration; to perfection. Obs. Cf. 5.
Perh. suggested by Fr. à l’envi, emulously, which is of different etymology. Cf. ENVY v.2, to which the first quot. may belong.
c. 1369. Chaucer, Dethe Blaunche, 173. They had good leyser for to route To envye, who might slepe beste.
1650–3. trans. Hales’ Dissert. de Pace, in Phenix (1708), II. 370. That Contemplation, happy even to Envy, awaits us in the Heavens.
1668. Pepys, Diary, 10 March. Captain Cocke … told me … that the Solicitor General do commend me, even to envy.
c. pl. Instances of envy; envious feelings, jealousies: rivalries.
1622. Bacon, Hen. VII., 239. Little Enuies, or Emulations vpon Forraine Princes.
1668. Dryden, Ess. Dram. Poesy, 31 (J.). The little envies of them [women] to one another.
1888. [Catherine Barter], Poor Nellie, 26. Whilst … our statesmen inflame the mean envies of classes.
d. concr. The object of envy.
1836. Ld. Lytton, Duchess, III. iii. Duchess la Vallière … The envy of the beauty and the birth Of Europe’s court.
4. Without notion of malevolence: † a. Desire to equal another in achievement or excellence; emulation. Obs. rare.
1541. Elyot, Image Gov. (1549), 129. His advancement shall ingender in noble men an honest enuie.
1638. Ford, Fancies, II. ii. (Webster).
| Such as cleanliness and decency | |
| Prompt to a virtuous envy. |
b. A longing for the advantages enjoyed by another person.
1723. Pope, Lett. (1737), VI. 99. My innocent envies and wishes of your state.
Mod. Your success excites my envy.
† 5. Wish, desire, longing; enthusiasm. obs. Cf. Fr. envie.
a. 1300. Cursor M., 2240 (Trin.). Þese foles … wiþ greet envye þis werk bigon.
c. 1430. Syr Tryam., 341. They rode forthe with grete envy To seke aftur the quene.
1481. Caxton, Myrr., I. v. 19. And had enuye at none other thinge, but only for to lerne suche science.
1607. Topsell, Four-f. Beasts (1658), 261. Uncivilized men do participate in their conditions, the labours and envie of brute beasts.
6. Comb.
1817. Coleridge, Biog. Lit., I. 54. He must be envy-mad!
1871. Palgrave, Lyr. Poems, 135. Judges with envy-dim eye.
¶ In the following quots. enuy is prob. a mere misprint for enemy. Cf. ENVYTE.
c. 1430. Lydg., Bochas, I. ix. (1544), 16 b. Ye great sodein fall Of mighty Jabin for his iniquitie Which unto Jewes was enuy [ed. 1494 enmy] full mortall.
1483. Caxton, G. de la Tour, E ij. The enuy or deuylle.
1579. Lyly, Euphues (Arb.), 189. Greater is thy credit in susteining wrong, then thy enuyes in committing injury.
