wishtadj.
/wɪʃt/ Chiefly south-western dialect.
1. Dreary, dismal; melancholy, wretched.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > suffering > dejection > [adjective] > gloomy or depressing
darkOE
unmerryOE
deathlyc1225
dolefulc1275
elengec1275
dreicha1300
coolc1350
cloudyc1374
sada1375
colda1400
deadlya1400
joylessc1400
unjoyful?c1400
disconsolatea1413
mournfula1425
funeralc1425
uncheerfulc1449
dolent1489
dolesome1533
heavy-hearted1555
glum1558
ungladsome1558
black1562
pleasureless1567
dern1570
plaintive?1570
glummish1573
cheerless1575
comfortless1576
wintry1579
glummy1580
funebral1581
discouraging1584
dernful?1591
murk1596
recomfortless1596
sullen1597
amating1600
lugubrious1601
dusky1602
sable1603
funebrial1604
damping1607
mortifying1611
tearful?1611
uncouth1611
dulsome1613
luctual1613
dismal1617
winterous1617
unked1620
mopish1621
godforsaken?1623
uncheerly1627
funebrious1630
lugubrous1632
drearisome1633
unheartsome1637
feral1641
drear1645
darksome1649
sadding1649
saddening1650
disheartening1654
funebrous1654
luctiferous1656
mestifical1656
tristifical1656
sooty1657
dreary1667
tenebrose1677
clouded1682
tragicala1700
funereal1707
gloomy1710
sepulchrala1711
dumpishc1717
bleaka1719
depressive1727
lugubre1727
muzzy1728
dispiriting1733
uncheery1760
unconsolatory1760
unjolly1764
Decemberly1765
sombre1768
uncouthie1768
depressing1772
unmirthful1782
sombrous1789
disanimating1791
Decemberish1793
grey1794
uncheering1796
ungenial1796
uncomforting1798
disencouraginga1806
stern1812
chilling1815
uncheered1817
dejecting1818
mopey1821
desponding1828
wisht1829
leadening1835
unsportful1837
demoralizing1840
Novemberish1840
frigid1844
morne1844
tragic1848
wet-blanketty1848
morgue1850
ungladdeneda1851
adusk1856
smileless1858
soul-sick1858
Novemberya1864
saturnine1863
down1873
lacklustre1883
Heaven-abandoneda1907
downbeat1952
doomy1967
1829 T. Moore Hist. Devon I. 510 Wish, inapt, bad, unfit, as ‘wish weather’.
1849 J. M. Kemble Saxons in Eng. I. 346 In Devonshire..a bad or unfortunate day is a wisht day.
1893 ‘Q’ Delectable Duchy 306 Ah, the poor body! his was a wisht case.
2. Uncanny, eerie, weird. (Cf. wish-hounds n.)
ΘΚΠ
the world > the supernatural > [adjective] > uncanny
eldritch1508
eerie1792
erlisha1802
unearthly1802
weird1817
pokerish1825
weirdly1831
uncanny1843
spooky1854
weird-like1854
wisht1872
unheimlichc1877
weirdsome1885
c1800 [see wishtness n. at Derivatives].
1872 E. Lynn Linton Joshua Davidson iii. 33 A wild whisht country that does not invite much night walking.
1891 J. C. Atkinson Last of Giant-killers 165 Their steps and hushed voices sounding very hollow and wisht all the time.
3. Sickly, wan.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > [adjective] > in state of ill health or diseased > feeling ill
squeamish1670
howish1694
sick as a horse1705
nohowish1816
all-overish1820
washed out1850
all-over1861
wisht1868
crappy1956
1868 ‘H. Lee’ Basil Godfrey's Caprice III. lxvii. 309 She is very whist and white.
1884 G. M. Fenn Sweet Mace III. xiii. 217 ‘I don't quite like the old woman to be burnt. How wist she looks!’
Derivatives
ˈwishtness n. melancholy; something uncanny or supernatural.
ΘΚΠ
the world > the supernatural > [noun] > supernatural thing(s)
supernaturals1605
supernaturality1665
wishtnessc1800
supernaturalisms1829
preternaturalism1858
the mind > emotion > suffering > dejection > [noun]
unlustOE
sorrowfulnessa1250
heavinessc1275
elengenessec1320
dullnessc1369
tristourc1380
murknessc1390
tristesse1390
faintness1398
ungladnessa1400
droopingc1400
heavity14..
dejectionc1450
terne?a1513
disconsolation1515
descence1526
marea1529
sadness?1537
dumpishness1548
unblessedness1549
dolorousness1553
ruefulness?1574
dolefulness1586
heartlessness1591
languishment1591
mopishness1598
soul-sickness1603
contristation1605
damp1606
gloominess1607
sableness1607
uncheerfulnessa1617
disconsolateness1624
cheerlessnessa1631
dejectedness1633
droopingness1635
disanimation1637
lowness1639
desponsion1641
disconsolacy1646
despondency1653
dispiritedness1654
chagrin1656
demission1656
jawfall1660
weightedness1660
depression1665
disconsolancy1665
grumness1675
despondence1676
despond1678
disheartenednessa1680
glumness1727
low1727
gloom1744
low-spiritedness1754
blue devils1756
black dog1776
humdudgeon1785
blue devilism1787
dispiritude1797
wishtnessc1800
downheartedness1801
blue-devilage1816
dispiritment1827
downcastness1827
depressiveness1832
dolorosity1835
lugubriosity1840
disconsolance1847
down1856
heavy-heartedness1860
lugubriousness1879
sullenness1885
low key1886
melancholia1896
burn-out1903
mokus1924
downness1927
mopiness1927
deflation1933
wallow1934
c1800 Polwhele Wishful Swain of Devon in R. Hunt Pop. Rom. W. Eng. (1865) 1st Ser. 150 He sought the dark-green lane,..Sighing..‘Wishness! oh, wishness, walketh here’.
1837 J. F. Palmer Gloss. in M. Palmer Dialogue Devonshire Dial. Gloss. Wishness, melancholy.
1849 J. M. Kemble Saxons in Eng. I. 346 In Devonshire to this day all magical or supernatural dealings go under the common name of Wishtness.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1928; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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adj.c1800- place value
- place, point etc of vantage
- place, point of vantage
- place, set one's felicity in
- place, town of garrison
- place-begging
- place-being
- place-book
- place-bound
- place-broker
- place-description
- place-getter
- place-house
- place-hunter
- place-hunting
- place-illustration
- place-kick
- place-kicker
- place-kicking
- place-like
- place-loving
- place-making
- place-monger
- place-mongering
- place-namer