desideratum
/dəˌsɪdəˈɹɑtəm/
Word Rarity
Very rare
Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.47 in modern English
15
Scrabble Score
11
Letters
5
Syllables
9
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
Something that is wished for, or considered desirable, particularly when thought to be essential.
Example Sentences
- "It having hitherto been a deſideratum to draw ſilver wire fine enough for aſtronomical uſes, our author's improvement "conſiſts in nothing but in flattening the fineſt wires which are now drawn.""
- "I shall now, agreeably to your request, endeavour to point out some of the principal Desiderata of the science of Natural History, and the most effectual means to be pursued for the Advancement of Science."
- "The kettle was singing on the side, and a thin white column of smoke announced, that desideratum of tea-makers, that the water boiled at a gallop."
- "Less teaching and good healing is to-day the acme of "well done;" a healing that is not guesswork, – chronic recovery ebbing and flowing, – but instantaneous cure. This absolute demonstration of Science must be revived. To consummate this desideratum, mortal mind must pass through three stages of growth."
- "While much is being done in the detailed improvement of our systems in respect of both matter and manner, the most pressing desideratum has not yet even been recognised as a desideratum."
- "A heavy clay soil is bad for all neuralgics, and the house should be dry, and on a sandy or gravel soil. The desideratum for all neuralgic affections is perpetual summer, but this can only be obtained, and it is not always possible, by an annual migration."
Etymology
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.
Origin
- Source language: Latin
Word Breakdown
- Root: dēsīderāta
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /dəˌsɪdəˈɹɑtəm/
- British English: /dɪˌsɪdəˈɹɑːtəm/