Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Something considered necessary or highly desirable.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun Something desired or desirable; that which is lacking or required.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun Anything desired; that of which the lack is felt; a want generally felt and acknowledge.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun Something that is
wished for, or considereddesirable .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun something desired as a necessity
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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The only social desideratum from the perspective of justice might be some H, but a principle of fairness might constrain the way H is allocated, such that it’s not required to feed everyone to the Utility Monster, if there are any in the society.
Happy Happy Happy 2005
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"Plain English" such a one will call his desideratum, as one might call the viands on a New Cut barrow
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“Plain English” such a one will call his desideratum, as one might call the viands on a
Mankind in the Making Herbert George 1903
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In a conversation with Mr. Gladstone in 1887, he referred to the enormous power and responsibilities of the United States, and suggested that a desideratum was a new unity between our two countries.
Southern Literature From 1579-1895 A comprehensive review, with copious extracts and criticisms for the use of schools and the general reader Louise Manly 1896
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Some of the champions of the "rights of women," in our day, apparently commit the error of inverting the real desideratum, which is, to make men renounce and love like the finest women -- not to make women exact and fight like the coarsest men.
The Friendships of Women William Rounseville Alger 1863
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With regard to this motor, engineers and electricians had been approaching more and more to that desideratum which is known as a steam horse in a watch case.
Robur the Conqueror 2003
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And, surely, such a "desideratum" may best be effected by a careful perusal of the manuals to be included in the present series.
Musicians of To-Day Romain Rolland 1905
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With regard to this motor, engineers and electricians had been approaching more and more to that desideratum which is known as a steam horse in a watch case.
Robur the Conqueror Jules Verne 1866
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-- Upon some future occasion we shall perhaps take an opportunity of stating what is in our opinion the great desideratum which is still to be supplied in the art of education considered simply in its _intellectual_ purposes -- viz. the communication of knowledge, and the development of the intellectual faculties: purposes which have not been as yet treated in sufficient insulation from the _moral_ purposes.
The Uncollected Writings of Thomas de Quincey—Vol. 1 With a Preface and Annotations by James Hogg Thomas De Quincey 1822
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New Testaments, and the idea that shall reconcile all as so many several forms, and as it were perspectives, of one and the same truth -- this is still a 'desideratum' in Christian theology.
The Literary Remains of Samuel Taylor Coleridge Henry Nelson Coleridge 1820
smeggo commented on the word desideratum
I require more words like this.
October 11, 2008