wanted
/ˈwɒntɪd/
adjective
Origin
Old Norse
vanta — to be lacking, to be absent
Overview
Meaning Now
- Desired or wished for; sought after.
- Being pursued by the police or authorities for a crime.
Literal older meaning
Past participle of the verb 'want', which historically meant 'to lack' or 'to be deficient in'.
Language path
Old Norse → Middle English → English
Earliest form
wanten
Earliest period
13th century
Journey
The transition of 'want' from meaning 'to lack' (I want for nothing) to 'to desire' (I want to eat) occurred throughout the Middle and Early Modern English periods as English speakers conflated the state of needing something with the feeling of desiring it.
Evolution
- Proto-Germanic
*wanōn
“to lack”
- Old Norse
vanta
“to lack”
- Middle English
wanten
“to lack or be deprived of”
- Early Modern English
wanted
“desired or needed”
Semantic shift from 'lacking' to 'desired because of lack'
Connections
Word parts
want
root
desire or lack
-ed
ending
past participle suffix
Related across languages
Swedish
vanta
to lack/need
Icelandic
vanta
to lack/need
Explore next
Related to wanted
External references use DefinedTerm semantics.