First known use 1827.A theory that the highest ethical goal is happiness and personal well being. A system of ethics that evaluates actions in terms of their capacity to produce happiness.
6. To be in need of; require: "'Your hair wants cutting,' said the Hatter"(Lewis Carroll).
v.intr.
1. To have need: wants for nothing.
2. To be destitute or needy.
3. To be disposed; wish: Call me daily if you want.
n.
1. The condition or quality of lacking something usual or necessary: stayed home for want of anything better to do.
2. Pressing need; destitution: lives in want.
3. Something desired: a person of few wants and needs.
4. A defect of character; a fault.
Phrasal Verbs:
want inSlang
1. To desire greatly to enter: The dog wants in.
2. To wish to join a project, business, or other undertaking.
want outSlang
1. To desire greatly to leave: The cat wants out.
2. To wish to leave a project, a business, or other undertaking.
[Middle English wanten, to be lacking, from Old Norse vanta; see eu- in Indo-European roots.]
Context: My pastor was using the second definition of want when we were discussing the word. My mind was stuck on the first want which is a desire to do something out of a wish for, or a desire. Often the words we use can have multiple meanings and our presupposition has captured only one of the two meanings. A mad hatter argues semantics without looking up a word in the dictionary. However, sometimes it is a fine thing to be crazy, for than you are free to say what you want to say, when you want to say it.