desiderium

American  

[des-i-deer-ee-uhm] / ˌdɛs ɪˈdɪər i əm /

noun

desideria plural

1. an ardent longing, as for something lost.

---

Etymology

Origin of desiderium

From Latin, dating back to 1705–15; see origin at desiderate, -ium

Explanation

In literary contexts, you might read that a character experiences desiderium, a heartfelt yearning for someone or something that is gone. The word desiderium carries a sense of sadness, nostalgia, and perhaps regret. Desiderium is a word borrowed from Latin. An example of desiderium is wishing for "the gold old days" of your early childhood. It could also be missing a bygone era, a past love, or a place from your past with which you have a strong connection. In addition to the feeling of longing itself, the word desiderium is occasionally used figuratively for that which is missed, especially an abstract concept like youth or a spirit of camaraderie among friends.

Example Sentences

But the gnawing of grief till it becomes a physical pain, the fever fits of sorrow, the aching desiderium, bring back in many guises the old questions.

From Alfred Tennyson by Lang, Andrew

And all this said of a youth of twenty—heu nimium brevis aevi decus et desiderium!

From Tennyson and His Friends by Various

And all this said of a youth of twenty—heu nimium brevis ævi decus et desiderium!

From Spare Hours by Brown, John

Pectora fida tenet desiderium: simul inter sese sic memorant, 'o Romule, Romule die, qualem te patriae custodem di genuerunt!

From Readings from Latin Verse With Notes by Bushnell, Curtis C.

Tum coepit modestus Vibhândaci filius, regis commodis intentus, parare sacrum, quo eius desiderium expleret.

From The Rámáyan of Válmíki, translated into English verse by Griffith, Ralph T. H. (Ralph Thomas Hotchkin)