desideratum
Americannoun
plural
desideratanoun
Etymology
Origin of desideratum
First recorded in 1645–55; from Latin, noun use of neuter past participle of dēsīderāre; desiderate
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Diversity isn’t necessarily an ethical desideratum in a collection.
From New York Times
But there’s another overall desideratum: The system has to be straightforward enough to be managed easily — to get large numbers of people vaccinated as swiftly as possible.
From New York Times
Since her subjects are motivated by wealth or a related desideratum—beauty, youth, glamour, celebrity—they tend to be pathetic or...
So many talents, so many different attractions, so much money, elegance, and beauty on display, but—and it’s a trivial observation—this multitude of desiderata is inevitably spread out among a large group of people.
From Literature
It is a version of what is known as a lithium-air battery, something that has been a desideratum of energy-storage research since the 1970s.
From Economist
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
