Wishes refers to a desire, hope, or longing for something or for something to happen. It commonly describes an expression of such a desire, often connected with ideas of magic and supernatural power, the thing desired or longed for, and a water meadow, which gives the term a broader and more practical sense than a single short definition would suggest. Depending on context, it can also point to to desire; to want, to hope (+ object clause with may or in present subjunctive), and to recommend; to seek confidence or favour on behalf of, so the category can cover literal uses, related ideas, and more figurative extensions of the same core meaning. Taken together, these meanings present Wishes as a flexible theme rather than a narrowly technical label, covering the central idea people usually mean when they use the word while still leaving room for closely related senses that appear in real language. Wishes therefore works well as a quotation category because it can hold direct statements about the subject, figurative uses that borrow its meaning, and broader reflections that stay anchored to the same central idea. Wishes is not limited to a single rigid definition in ordinary language, and that wider range is part of what makes the category useful for grouping related material without losing the term's main sense.
