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desiderata

[dih-sid-uh-rey-tuh, -rah-, -zid-]
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plural noun, singular de·sid·er·a·tum.

things wanted or needed; the plural of desideratum: “Happily-ever-after” and “eternal love” appear to be the desiderata of the current generation; to whom “fat chance” say those of us who are older, wiser, and more curmudgeonly.

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Lexical Investigations: Desiderata
Desiderata is a plural noun, with the singular form desideratum, meaning “things wanted or needed.” For many, the word desiderata most often evokes a famous poem by Max Ehrmann, written in 1927 and often referred to simply as Desiderata, without attribution or quotation marks. The poem begins with the oft-quoted lines, “Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, / and remember what peace there …
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Lexical Investigations: Sentimental
Sentimental, a word intrinsically tied to Romanticism, entered English in the mid-eighteenth century, about 50 years before the Romantic era was in full swing. Scholars officially date the Romantic period from around 1800 to 1850, with the publication of William Wordsworth’s Lyrical Ballads in 1798 marking the palpable beginning of the era. In 1800, Wordsworth published a new edition of Lyrical Ballads, this time including …
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RELATED WORDS

requirement, precondition, prerequisite, fundamental, obligation, essential, urgency, use, right, wish, commitment, demand, specification, stipulation, qualification, need, provision, condition, concern, desire

desideratum

[dih-sid-uh-rey-tuh m, -rah-, -zid-]

noun, plural de·sid·er·a·ta [dih-sid-uh-rey-tuh, -rah-, -zid-] /dɪˌsɪd əˈreɪ tə, -ˈrɑ-, -ˌzɪd-/.

something wanted or needed.

Origin of desideratum

1645–55; < Latin, noun use of neuter past participle of dēsīderāre; see desiderate
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for desiderata

Historical Examples of desiderata

  • These plants were therefore the rage; and, consequently, the desiderata of the nurseryman.

  • Priestley has ably given the desiderata of electricity, vision, &c.

  • "Desiderata" he said slowly, and the colour left his face as he pronounced it.

    The Devourers

    Annie Vivanti Chartres

  • The system of Delsarte responds to all these desiderata of æsthetics.

  • A proper account and explanation of this is, I think, amongst the desiderata of literature.

British Dictionary definitions for desiderata

desiderata

noun

the plural of desideratum

desideratum

noun plural -ta (-tə)

something lacked and wanted

Word Origin for desideratum

C17: from Latin; see desiderate
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for desiderata
n.

plural of desideratum (1650s), from Latin, literally "something for which desire is felt," from past participle stem of desiderare "to long for" (see desire).

desideratum

n.

"something lacking," see desiderata.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper