まほし

Japanese

Etymology

Shift from まくほし (-makuhoshi), itself a compound of ま (-ma, the 未然形(みぜんけい) (mizenkei, “irrealis form”) of む (-mu, volitional/conjectural auxiliary verb)) +‎ く (-ku, nominalizing suffix) +‎ ほし (hoshi, classical form of ほしい (hoshii, “wanted, desirable”)).^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]

One alternative derivation posits that this may have derived from the volitional/conjectural auxiliary む (-mu) in the irrealis form of ま (-ma), with ほし (hoshi) attaching directly to this.^[1] However, syntactically, hoshi never followed verbs in the irrealis, and only followed nouns or verbs in the conjunctive -te conjugation, making this derivation unlikely.

The older form まくほし (-makuhoshi) appears in Old Japanese works of the Nara period and early Heian period,^[1]^[3] with this abbreviated まほし (-mahoshi) form arising later in the Heian period,^[3]^[4] primarily in waka poetry and works written in kana.^[1]^[3] The modern desiderative ending たい (-tai) then appears from the Kamakura period, gradually replacing -mahoshi.^[1]^[3]^[2]^[4]

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ma̠ho̞ɕi]

Suffix

まほし • (-mahoshi)

(archaic) following the irrealis stem of verbs
1. to want (to do); to hope (to do)
  Synonym: たい
  - 1059, 菅原孝標女, 『更級日記』
    
    つゞきのみまほしくおぼゆれど
    tsuzuki no mimahoshiku oboyuredo
    Although I want to read the story after it...
2. (only used after ある) I wish that; it is desirable that
  - 1349, 吉田兼好, 『徒然草』 52
    
    先(せん)達(だつ)はあらまほしきことなり
    sendatsu wa aramahoshiki koto nari
    It is better to have someone guiding you.

Inflection

Classical conjugation of "まほし" (シク活用, see Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Stem forms
Irrealis (未然形)	まほしく^[1] まほしから^[2]	まほしくまほしから	-mafosiku -mafosikara
Continuative (連用形)	まほしく^[1] まほしかり^[2]	まほしくまほしかり	-mafosiku -mafosikari
Terminal (終止形)	まほし	まほし	-mafosi
Attributive (連体形)	まほしきまほしかる	まほしきまほしかる	-mafosiki -mafosikaru
Realis (已然形)	まほしけれ	まほしけれ	-mafosikere
Imperative (命令形)	まほしかれ	まほしかれ	-mafosikare
Key constructions
Negative	まほしからず	まほしからず	-mafosikarazu
Contrasting conjunction	まほしけれど	まほしけれど	-mafosikeredo
Causal conjunction	まほしければ	まほしければ	-mafosikereba
Conditional conjunction	まほしくば	まほしくば	-mafosikuba
Past tense (firsthand knowledge)	まほしかりき	まほしかりき	-mafosikariki
Past tense (secondhand knowledge)	まほしかりけり	まほしかりけり	-mafosikarikeri
Adverbial	まほしく	まほしく	-mafosiku
^[1]Without auxiliary verb. ^[2]With auxiliary verb.

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 ^1.4 “まほし”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎^[1] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 Shinmura, Izuru, editor (1998), 広辞苑 [Kōjien] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, →ISBN
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 ^3.3 ^3.4 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 ^4.2 “まほし”, in デジタル大辞泉 [Digital Daijisen]‎^[2] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, updated roughly every four months
^ Kitahara, Yasuo, editor (2002), 明鏡国語辞典 [Meikyō Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Taishūkan Shoten, →ISBN

[KDJ2-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 ^1.4 “まほし”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎^[1] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006

[K-2] 2.0 ^2.1 Shinmura, Izuru, editor (1998), 広辞苑 [Kōjien] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, →ISBN

[DJR-3] 3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 ^3.3 ^3.4 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[DDJS-4] 4.0 ^4.1 ^4.2 “まほし”, in デジタル大辞泉 [Digital Daijisen]‎^[2] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, updated roughly every four months

[M-5] Kitahara, Yasuo, editor (2002), 明鏡国語辞典 [Meikyō Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Taishūkan Shoten, →ISBN

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