Standard Lemma guide
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
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noun
Something that is wished for, or considered desirable, particularly when thought to be essential.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
something desired as a necessity
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: necessity, essential, requirement, requisite, necessary
History
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.
Across languages
15 source translations are retained for this English entry.
