desideratum
Syllables: de·si·de·ra·tum/dɪˌsɪdəˈɹɑːtəm/US/dəˌsɪdəˈɹɑtəm/
desideratum noun: something that is wished for, or considered desirable, particularly when thought to be essential.
Noun
desideratum (plural desiderata)
- Something that is wished for, or considered desirable, particularly when thought to be essential.
- It having hitherto been a deſideratum to draw ſilver wire fine enough for aſtronomical uſes, our author's improvement "conſiſts in nothing but in flattening the fineſt wires which are now drawn."1774 November, “Art. XI. An Improvement Proposed in the Cross Wires of Telescopes. By Dr. Wilson, of Glasgow.”, in The Gentleman’s Magazine, and Historical Chronicle, volume XLIV, London: Printed […]...
- I shall now, agreeably to your request, endeavour to point out some of the principal Desiderata of the science of Natural History, and the most effectual means to be pursued for the Advancement of Science.1807 June 10, Benjamin Smith Barton, A Discourse on Some of the Principal Desiderata in Natural History, and on the Best Means of Promoting the Study of This Science, in the United-States. […]...
desideratum meaning in Urdu, Malayalam, Kannada and Indonesian
desideratum in Urdu
- desideratum
- احتیاج ihtiyāj
desideratum in Malayalam
- അത്യാന്താപേക്ഷിതം
desideratum in Kannada
- ಬೇಕಾದುದು, ಬಯಸಿ ದುದು
desideratum in Indonesian
- something wished for, or considered desirable
- desiderata
Examples of desideratum in a sentence
- The kettle was singing on the side, and a thin white column of smoke announced, that desideratum of tea-makers, that the water boiled at a gallop.1838 (date written), L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], chapter V, in Lady Anne Granard; or, Keeping up Appearances. […], volume I, London...
- To consummate this desideratum, mortal mind must pass through three stages of growth.1896, Mary Baker Eddy, Miscellaneous Writings 1883–1896, Boston, Mass.: Christian Science Publishing Society, →OCLC; republished Boston...
- While much is being done in the detailed improvement of our systems in respect of both matter and manner, the most pressing desideratum has not yet even been recognised as a desideratum.1898, Herbert Spencer, “Moral Education”, in Education: Intellectual, Moral, and Physical, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton and Company, […]...
- The desideratum for all neuralgic affections is perpetual summer, but this can only be obtained, and it is not always possible, by an annual migration.1907 November, Angus Caithness, “Notes on Neuralgia”, in J. J. Lawrence, editor, The Medical Brief: A Monthly Journal of Scientific...
Forms of desideratum
| plural | desiderata |
|---|
Origin of desideratum
Learned borrowing from Latin dēsīderātum (“something that is desired”), neuter nominative singular of dēsīderātus, the passive past participle of dēsīderāre (“to desire”), from dēsīderō (“to desire, want, wish for”), from de- (intensifying prefix) + possibly sīdus (“star; constellation”) though the connection is unclear. The English word is cognate with French desideratum, Spanish desiderátum. The plural is derived from Latin dēsīderāta.
Questions about desideratum
- What does desideratum mean?
- Desideratum means something that is wished for, or considered desirable, particularly when thought to be essential.
- What is desideratum in Urdu?
- Desideratum in Urdu is احتیاج (ihtiyāj). See Desideratum meaning in Urdu.
- How do you use desideratum in a sentence?
- The kettle was singing on the side, and a thin white column of smoke announced, that desideratum of tea-makers, that the water boiled at a gallop.
- What part of speech is desideratum?
- Desideratum is a noun.
- How do you pronounce desideratum?
- Desideratum is pronounced /dɪˌsɪdəˈɹɑːtəm/ (UK).
- What is the plural of desideratum?
- The plural of desideratum is desiderata.
Words near desideratum in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: desideratum (page history and authors); احتیاج (Urdu) (page history and authors); desideratum (Malayalam Wiktionary) (page history and authors); desideratum (Kannada Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: En-uk-desideratum.oga.
Cite this entry: “desideratum.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/desideratum. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.