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You are here: Home / Language / Where does the word “vie” come from and What does envy mean?

Where does the word “vie” come from and What does envy mean?

March 23, 2020 by Karen Hill

Originally it was a contraction of envy, formed by lopping off the first syllable.

But envy, in the sense in which it was thus employed, was a gambling term in the sixteenth century, meaning to invite, to challenge; the contraction, vie, was the more popular word at the gaming table.

One vied or made a vie by putting up a stake on the strength of a hand at cards.

Hence, vie, meaning to contend or strive against another at cards, later embraced any kind of contest.

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Filed Under: Language

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

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