From Latin 'invidere' (to look upon with hostility) — preserving the ancient belief that envious gazes cause harm (evil eye).
A feeling of discontent or resentful longing aroused by someone else's possessions or qualities; to feel such resentment.
From Old French envie (envy, desire, longing, ill will), from Latin invidia (envy, jealousy, hatred, unpopularity), from invidere (to look at with hostility, to look upon with ill will, to cast the evil eye), composed of in- (upon, against) + videre (to see). The literal meaning is the act of looking upon someone with malice — a hostile, lingering gaze. This connects directly to the ancient belief in the evil eye (Latin oculus malignus): the envious look was thought to cause direct harm to its object. The PIE root is *weyd- (to see, to
The word 'invidious' preserves the Latin form more transparently than 'envy' does — both come from Latin 'invidia,' but 'invidious' entered English directly from Latin in the 17th century, while 'envy' arrived centuries earlier via Old French, which wore down the Latin form beyond recognition. They are etymological siblings separated by 400 years.