From Old Norse 'vanta' (to lack) — originally 'to be without'; desire grew naturally from absence.
To have a desire to possess or do something; to wish for.
From Middle English 'wanten' meaning 'to be lacking, to be without,' borrowed from Old Norse 'vanta' (to lack, to be wanting), from Proto-Germanic *wanatōną (to be lacking), from PIE root *h₁weh₂- (empty, void). The original meaning was entirely about absence and deficiency — 'to want' meant 'to lack,' not 'to desire.' The shift from 'lack' to 'desire' occurred gradually through Middle English: if you lack something, you feel its absence, and from feeling