An exclamation of wistful desire.
An exclamation of wistful desire — “if only!”, “I wish!”, “I'd love that!” — also a weaker “maybe / perhaps,” and an eager “you bet!” reply to an offer.
A wistful interjection, not a sustained emotional state. Unlike English “hope,” it leans into the unattainable: “Are you a billionaire?” “Eh, magari!” carries rueful resignation; as an eager reply (“Want a drink?” “Magari!”) it is pure positive desire. With the imperfect subjunctive it means “if only”; standalone, “I wish”; mid-sentence, “maybe / even if.”
From Greek makári (“would that; blessed”).
From Greek μακάρι (makári), the Byzantine/Modern Greek form of the neuter of μακάριος “happy, blessed.”
The “blessed/happy” Greek root underlies its core optative sense (“would that!”); from this it broadened to the weaker “perhaps” and the concessive “even if.”
Mild romanticization on untranslatable-word lists; the “if only” and “maybe” senses are distinguished only by context, tone, and verb mood.