desire

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“
Although the prime cause of this desire is a false judgment as to your previous unconscious desire, yet the new conscious desire has its own derivative genuineness, and may influence your actions to the extent of sending you round the world.

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Definitions (30)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (7)

  1. transitive verb To wish or long for; want.
  2. transitive verb To express a wish for; request.
  3. noun A wish or longing.
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Toggle Century definitions Century Dictionary (15)

Toggle GNU Webster definitions GNU Webster's 1913 (2)

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This word has been looked up 347 times.

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Roget's II Roget's II: The New Thesaurus

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Used in the same context Used in the Same Context

passion ·  love ·  pleasure ·  need ·  hope ·  ambition ·  affection ·  anger ·  wish ·  power

Used in the same contextWord Family

desire:   desires ·  desiring ·  desired
Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition by the Editors of the American Heritage® Dictionary. Copyright © 2003, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Etymologies (3)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  1. Middle English desiren, from Old French desirer, from Latin dēsīderāre : dē-, de- + sīdus, sīder-, star.

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (2)

  1. from Middle English desiren, desyren, from Old French desirer, earlier desirrer, French désirer = Provencal desirar (cf. Spanish desear = Portuguese desejar, desire, apparently in part of other origin) = Italian desirare, desiare, desiderare, from Latin desiderare, long for, desire, feel the want of, miss, regret, apparently from de- + sidus (sider-), a star (see sidereal), but the connection of thought is not clear; cf. consider. Cf. also desiderate.
  2. from Middle English desire, desir, desere, from Old French desir, desier, French désir (after the verb) = Provencal desire, dezir (cf. Spanish deseo = Portuguese desejo) = Italian desiro, desire, desira, desia, desio, desiderio, from Latin desiderium, desire, longing, regret, from desiderare, desire, long for: see desire, v.
 

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/dəˈzaɪr/
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