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.
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.
Hear it pronounced