Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition

Desire

De-sire′

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Desired
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Desiring
.]
[F.
désirer
, 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.
Shakespeare
3.
To require; to demand; to claim.
[Obs.]
A doleful case
desires
a doleful song.
Spenser.
4.
To miss; to regret.
[Obs.]
Syn. – To long for; hanker after; covet; wish; ask; request; solicit; entreat; beg.
– 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.

De-sire′

,
Noun.
[F.
désir
, fr.
désirer
. See
Desire
,
Verb.
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.
Syn. – Wish; appetency; craving; inclination; eagerness; aspiration; longing.

Webster 1828 Edition

Desire

DESIRE

, n.
1.
An emotion or excitement of the mind, directed to the attainment or possession of an object from which pleasure, sensual, intellectual or spiritual, is expected; a passion excited by the love of an object, or uneasiness at the want of it, and directed to its attainment or possession. Desire is a wish to possess some gratification or source of happiness which is supposed to be obtainable. A wish may exist for something that is or is not abtainable. Desire, when directed solely to sensual enjoyment, differs little from appetite. In other languages, desire is expressed by longing or reaching toward, and when it is ardent or intense, it approaches to longing, but the word in English usually expresses less than longing.
We endeavored-to see your face with great desire. 1 Thess. 2.
Thou satisfiest the desires of every living thing. Ps. 145.
Desire is that internal act, which, by influencing the will, makes us proceed to action.
2.
A prayer or request to obtain:
He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him. Ps. 145.
3.
The object of desire; that which is desired.
The desire of all nations shall come. Hag. 2.
4.
Love; affection.
His desire is toward me. Cant. 7.
5.
Appetite; lust.
Fulfilling the desires of the flesh. Eph. 2.

DESIRE

, v.t.
1.
To wish for the possession or enjoyment of, with a greater or less degree of earnestness; to covet. It expresses less strength of affection than longing.
Neither shall any man desire thy land. Ex. 34.
Follow after charity, and desire spiritual gifts. 1 Cor. 14.
2.
To express a wish to obtain; to ask; to request; to petition.
Then she said, did I desire a son of my Lord? 2 Kings 4.
3.
To require.

Definition 2024

desire

desire

See also: désire, désiré, Désiré, and Desiré

English

Verb

desire ‎(third-person singular simple present desires, present participle desiring, simple past and past participle desired)

  1. To want; to wish for earnestly.
    I desire to speak with you.‎
    • Bible, Exodus xxxiv. 24
      Neither shall any man desire thy land.
    • Tennyson
      Ye desire your child to live.
  2. To put a request to (someone); to entreat.
    • 1526, William Tyndale, trans. Bible, Acts XIII:
      And when they founde no cause of deeth in hym, yet desired they Pilate to kyll him.
    • 1918, W. B. Maxwell, chapter 2, in The Mirror and the Lamp:
      That the young Mr. Churchills liked—but they did not like him coming round of an evening and drinking weak whisky-and-water while he held forth on railway debentures and corporation loans. Mr. Barrett, however, by fawning and flattery, seemed to be able to make not only Mrs. Churchill but everyone else do what he desired.
  3. To want emotionally or sexually.
    She has desired him since they first met.‎
  4. To express a wish for; to entreat; to request.
    • Bible, 2 Kings iv. 28
      Then she said, Did I desire a son of my lord?
    • Shakespeare
      Desire him to go in; trouble him no more.
  5. To require; to demand; to claim.
    • Spenser
      A doleful case desires a doleful song.
  6. To miss; to regret.
    • Jeremy Taylor
      She shall be pleasant while she lives, and desired when she dies.

Translations

Noun

desire ‎(usually uncountable, plural desires)

  1. (countable) Someone or something wished for.
    • 2013 June 7, David Simpson, “Fantasy of navigation”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 36:
      It is tempting to speculate about the incentives or compulsions that might explain why anyone would take to the skies in [the] basket [of a balloon]: perhaps out of a desire to escape the gravity of this world or to get a preview of the next; […].
    It is my desire to speak with you.‎
    You’re my heart’s desire.‎
  2. (uncountable) Strong attraction, particularly romantic or sexual.
    His desire for her kept him awake at night.‎
  3. (uncountable) Motivation.
  4. (uncountable) The feeling of desire.
    Too much desire can seriously affect one’s judgment.‎

Synonyms

Translations

See also

Related terms

Statistics

Most common English words before 1923: probably · especially · placed · #563: desire · greater · army · horse

Anagrams

Etymology

From Middle English desiren, from Old French desir(r)er, from Latin desidero ‎(“to long for, desire, feel the want of, miss, regret”), apparently from de- + sidus (in the phrase de sidere, "from the stars") in connection with astrological hopes. Compare consider. Compare also desiderate.

Pronunciation

Similar Results