envy |ˈenvē|noun ( pl. -vies)a feeling of discontented or resentful longing aroused by someone else's possessions, qualities, or luck : she felt a twinge of envy for the people on board.• ( the envy of) a person or thing that inspires such a feeling : their national health service is the envy of many in Europe.verb ( -vies, -vied) [ trans. ]desire to have a quality, possession, or other desirable attribute belonging to (someone else) : he envied people who did not have to work on weekends | [with two objs. ] I envy Jane her happiness.• desire for oneself (something possessed or enjoyed by another) : a lifestyle that most of us would envy.DERIVATIVESenvier |ˈenvēər| nounORIGIN Middle English (also in the sense [hostility, enmity] ): from Old French envie (noun), envier (verb), fromLatin invidia, from invidere ‘regard maliciously, grudge,’ from in- ‘into’ + videre ‘to see.’