- singular of desiderata.
desideratum
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of desideratum
First recorded in 1645–55; from Latin, noun use of neuter past participle of dēsīderāre; see desiderate
Explanation
A desideratum is something you desire or want. It's a fancy word for a must-have. This official-sounding Latin word means something very common: anything you want or need. A new book could be a desideratum. A chocolate cake could be a desideratum. More commonly, a desideratum is something that is truly needed, like food or shelter. For many people, a happy marriage is a desideratum. For a politician, getting elected is a desideratum. You can almost see the word desire in desideratum, and that should help you remember it’s an object of desire.
Vocabulary lists containing desideratum
The Federalist Papers, No. 10 by James Madison
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"The Federalist No. 10," Vocabulary from the argument
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The Federalist No. 10 by James Madison
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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.
See Examples For:
Diversity isn’t necessarily an ethical desideratum in a collection.
From New York Times ● Sep. 28, 2021
Airports supply the greatest desideratum of physical retail: foot traffic.
From Slate ● Sep. 7, 2017
Moreover, our journeys through this maze of quantification are subjected to the most accurate possible computer modelling, with a view to achieving that quintessentially modern desideratum: smooth traffic flow.
From BBC ● Jan. 18, 2013
Not a bad fraction of the desideratum, but one that will be hard to sustain in the face of the world’s economic difficulties.
From Economist ● Nov. 25, 2010
Those mountains heralded the approach of my desideratum.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
But so were regulatory desiderata, such as the question of whether autonomous vehicles need a button for high-beam headlights.
From Slate ● Mar. 22, 2016
And more than most works that make that short list, it fulfills the official desiderata that Pulitzer plays reflect and explore the American experience.
From New York Times ● May 21, 2010
Many of those who showed up to bid on the desiderata of celebrity were themselves celebrities.
From Time Magazine Archive
But not till last week did any one announce a steel with all the desiderata of the machine builder.
From Time Magazine Archive
Kindness, humility, piety, respect for other human creatures—these are the great desiderata of all who pursue virtuous action, and it matters not whether those who preach them heed their own advice.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
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.
