Lystan

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. An archaic verb meaning to feel a desire or inclination toward something, or to be willing to do it
2. Old English term for wishing or having a longing for something, often used impersonally to mean it pleases one
3. A dated verb expressing the wish or inclination to have or do something, as in old English usage

Etymology: Old English "lystan" was an impersonal verb, used with the person in the dative case and the desired thing as the subject. The sentence "me lyst" meant "it pleases me," which we would now express as "I desire it." English speakers no longer use that construction, so the modern "I want" arrangement replaced it. The root also gave English "lust," which originally meant pleasure or desire in general before narrowing toward sexual desire. Its relatives in other Germanic languages keep the older range: German "Lust" still means pleasure or delight, and "lüsten" can mean to have an appetite for something. The English verb itself survives mainly in the adjective "listless," which means lacking any desire or interest, from the noun "list" in the sense of inclination.