optative

Meanings

Adjective

• Expressing a wish or a choice.
• Related or pertaining to the optative mood.

Noun

• A mood of verbs found in some languages (e.g. Sanskrit, Old Prussian, Ancient Greek), used to express a wish. English does not have inflectional optative forms.
• A verb or expression in the optative mood.

Origin

• From Middle French optatif, from Late Latin optātīvus, a calque of Ancient Greek εὐκτική ("related to wishing"), from Latin optātus, past participle of optāre.