desiderata

[ dih-sid-uh-rey-tuh, -rah-, -zid- ]

/ dɪˌsɪd əˈreɪ tə, -ˈrɑ-, -ˌzɪd- /

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.

Nearby words

desiccant, desiccate, desiccated, desiccation, desiccator, desiderata, desiderate, desiderative, desideratum, desiderium, design

Definition for desiderata (2 of 2)

desideratum

[ dih-sid-uh-rey-tuh m, -rah-, -zid- ]

/ dɪˌsɪd əˈreɪ təm, -ˈrɑ-, -ˌzɪd- /

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

Purity of conception and faultlessness of workmanship were still the desiderata of music.
Music: An Art and a Language|Walter Raymond Spalding
The late Mr. Huth long remained unpersuaded that books of this character were desiderata.
The Book-Collector|William Carew Hazlitt
The system of Delsarte responds to all these desiderata of æsthetics.
Delsarte System of Oratory|Various
Our trenches possessed few of the desiderata carefully laid down in the Field Service pocket-book.
Wounded and a Prisoner of War|Malcolm V. (Malcolm Vivian) Hay

As we observed above, directly signboards were generally adopted, quaintness became one of the desiderata, and costliness another.
The History of Signboards|Jacob Larwood

British Dictionary definitions for desiderata (1 of 2)

desiderata

/ (dɪˌzɪdəˈrɑːtə) /

noun

the plural of desideratum

British Dictionary definitions for desiderata (2 of 2)

desideratum

/ (dɪˌzɪdəˈrɑːtəm) /

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