desideratum
/dɪˌsɪdəˈɹɑːtəm/
desideratum means something that is wished for, or considered desirable, particularly when thought to be essential. It carries an Arena rating of 1810, earned across 86 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, desideratum ranks #1,898 of 17,126 for Most Satisfying to Say, #2,403 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words, #3,298 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #3,846 of 17,124 for Most Sublime Words.
desideratum is pronounced /dɪˌsɪdəˈɹɑːtəm/.
Why “desideratum” is a great word
DESIDERATUM — [Noun] Something that is desired or considered essential. A learned borrowing from Latin dēsīderātum ("something that is desired"), the neuter singular of dēsīderātus, the past participle of dēsīderāre ("to desire"). First attested in English in the 1650s. Unlike a "requirement," an externally imposed necessity, or a "whim," a fleeting caprice, a desideratum is a considered and deeply felt lack. It is the specific volume missing from a library's collection, the precise quality of silence in a room long filled with noise, or the one unverified datum that would complete a perfect theory. It names not the object, but the quiet, persistent shape of the hole it leaves behind.
Etymology
Learned borrowing from Latin dēsīderātum (“something that is desired”), neuter nominative singular of dēsīderātus, the passive past participle of dēsīderāre (“to desire”), from dēsīderō (“to desire, want, wish for”), from de- (intensifying prefix) + possibly sīdus (“star; constellation”) though the connection is unclear. The English word is cognate with French desideratum, Spanish desiderátum. The plural is derived from Latin dēsīderāta.
noun
- Something that is wished for, or considered desirable, particularly when thought to be essential.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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