desiderate means desired, wished or longed for. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 88 out of 100.
desiderate is pronounced /dɪˈsɪdəɹeɪt/.
Why “desiderate” is a great word
DESIDERATE — [Adjective, Verb] To feel the lack or absence of and wish for; or, that which is so longed-for. From Latin dēsīderātus, past participle of dēsīderāre ("to desire, long for, miss"). The verb is a doublet of 'desire'. Unlike "desire," which expresses a general want, or "yearn," which implies a deep emotional longing, to desiderate is to consciously register a specific vacancy with clinical precision. It is the clean silhouette of the empty chair at the table, the exact silence where a friend's laughter once resided, the geometric void on the shelf left by a lent and unreturned book—the formal cataloging of an absence, which is the most intellectual form of grief.
Etymology
From Latin, from the participle stem of the verb dēsīderāre (“to desire”). The verb is a doublet of desire.
adj
- desired, wished or longed for“O Friend of God, know then that London is the desiderate town even of all Earth's cities.”
verb
- To miss; to feel the absence of; to long for.“Between our human nature and the nature they desiderate there is a deep and fordless river, over which they can throw no bridge, and all their talk supposes that we shall be able to fly or wade across it […]”