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desire
8 dictionary results for: Desire
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
de·sire       [di-zahyuhr] Pronunciation Key verb, -sired, -sir·ing, noun
–verb (used with object)
1.to wish or long for; crave; want.
2.to express a wish to obtain; ask for; request: The mayor desires your presence at the next meeting.
–noun
3.a longing or craving, as for something that brings satisfaction or enjoyment: a desire for fame.
4.an expressed wish; request.
5.something desired.
6.sexual appetite or a sexual urge.

[Origin: 1200–50; ME desiren < OF desirer < L désīderāre; see desiderate]

de·sired·ly       [di-zahyuhrd-lee, -zahy-rid-] Pronunciation Key, adverb
de·sired·ness, noun
de·sire·less, adjective
de·sir·er, noun
de·sir·ing·ly, adverb

1. covet, fancy. See wish. 2. solicit. 3. aspiration, hunger, appetite, thirst. Desire, craving, longing, yearning suggest feelings that impel one to the attainment or possession of something. Desire is a strong feeling, worthy or unworthy, that impels to the attainment or possession of something that is (in reality or imagination) within reach: a desire for success. Craving implies a deep and imperative wish for something, based on a sense of need and hunger: a craving for food, companionship. A longing is an intense wish, generally repeated or enduring, for something that is at the moment beyond reach but may be attainable at some future time: a longing to visit Europe. Yearning suggests persistent, uneasy, and sometimes wistful or tender longing: a yearning for one's native land.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
de·sire       (dĭ-zīr')  Pronunciation Key 
tr.v.   de·sired, de·sir·ing, de·sires
  1. To wish or long for; want.
  2. To express a wish for; request.

n.  
  1. A wish or longing.
  2. A request or petition.
  3. The object of longing: My greatest desire is to go back home.
  4. Sexual appetite; passion.


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

de·sir'er n.
Synonyms: These verbs mean to have a strong longing for: desire peace; coveted the new convertible; craving fame and fortune; wanted a drink of water; got all she wished.

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
desire 
c.1230, from O.Fr. desirer, from L. desiderare "long for, wish for," original sense perhaps "await what the stars will bring," from the phrase de sidere "from the stars," from sidus (gen. sideris) "heavenly body, star, constellation" (but see consider). Noun sense of "lust" is first recorded c.1340.

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
desire

noun
1. the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state 
2. an inclination to want things; "a man of many desires" 
3. something that is desired 

verb
1. feel or have a desire for; want strongly; "I want to go home now"; "I want my own room" 
2. expect and wish; "I trust you will behave better from now on"; "I hope she understands that she cannot expect a raise" [syn: hope
3. express a desire for 

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry: de·sire
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: de·sired; de·sir·ing
: to wish for earnestly —see also PRECATORY
NOTE: Courts have variously interpreted desire in wills to indicate either a direction of the testator that must be followed or merely an expression of what the testator hoped would happen.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Desire

De*sire"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Desired; p. pr. & vb. n. Desiring.] [F. d['e]sirer, L. desiderare, origin uncertain, perh. fr. de- + sidus star, constellation, and hence orig., to turn the eyes from the stars. Cf. Consider, and Desiderate, and see Sidereal.]

1. To long for; to wish for earnestly; to covet.

Neither shall any man desire thy land. --Ex. xxxiv. 24.

Ye desire your child to live. --Tennyson.

2. To express a wish for; to entreat; to request.

Then she said, Did I desire a son of my lord? --2 Kings iv. 28.

Desire him to go in; trouble him no more. --Shak.

3. To require; to demand; to claim. [Obs.]

A doleful case desires a doleful song. --Spenser.

4. To miss; to regret. [Obs.]

She shall be pleasant while she lives, and desired when she dies. --Jer. Taylor.

Syn: To long for; hanker after; covet; wish; ask; request; solicit; entreat; beg.

Usage: To Desire, Wish. In desire the feeling is usually more eager than in wish. "I wish you to do this" is a milder form of command than "I desire you to do this," though the feeling prompting the injunction may be the same. --C. J. Smith.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Desire

De*sire"\, n. [F. d['e]sir, fr. d['e]sirer. See Desire, v. t.]

1. The natural longing that is excited by the enjoyment or the thought of any good, and impels to action or effort its continuance or possession; an eager wish to obtain or enjoy.

Unspeakable desire to see and know. --Milton.

2. An expressed wish; a request; petition.

And slowly was my mother brought To yield consent to my desire. --Tennyson.

3. Anything which is desired; an object of longing.

The Desire of all nations shall come. --Hag. ii. 7.

4. Excessive or morbid longing; lust; appetite.

5. Grief; regret. [Obs.] --Chapman.

Syn: Wish; appetency; craving; inclination; eagerness; aspiration; longing.

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