desiderative

1 of 2

adjective

de·​sid·​er·​a·​tive
-d(ə)rə|
1
: relating to or denoting desire, especially a wish to do
the intellect does not include the emotional and immediately desiderative elements of human natureH. O. Taylor
2
a
of a verb or verb form : derived from or belonging to the inflectional paradigm of a verb and expressing a desire to perform the action denoted by that verb
the desiderative Latin verb esurire "to be hungry" is from edere "to eat"
b
: of or relating to a desiderative verb or verb form
a desiderative suffix

desiderative

2 of 2

noun

"
plural -s
: a desiderative verb or verb form

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Late Latin desiderativus, from Latin desideratus + -ivus -ive

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Cite this Entry

“Desiderative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/desiderative. Accessed 15 Dec. 2025.

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