De*sire" (?), v. 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.
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. -- 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", n. [F. désir,
fr. désirer. 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.
