English → Latin
“desire” in Latin
dēsīderiumlonging, desire, wish (especially for something once possessed); grief, regret (desire for something lost); need, necesscupīdōdesire, longing, especially amorous desire, eagerness; lust, passion, greedcupiditāsdesire (deemed good, neutral or bad); lust, passion; cupidity, avarice, greed, covetousnessappetītiōThe act of grasping at or reaching after something.; A passionate longing or striving for something, strong desire, impuappetōto strive for, reach after (something), try to get; to attack, fall or seize upon, assault, assail; to approach, draw nivolōto wish, to please; to want; to mean, to intendlibīdōdesire, fancy, inclination, longing, pleasure, caprice, passion, wantonness; lust, sensualitystudiumstudy; eagerness, zeal; desire, fancyīnsatiābilisinsatiablequīdamsomeone, a certain one/thing; something
The English word desire itself goes back to Latin sīdus, through dēsīderō.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
desire s.
desiderium (longing desire for an object, the want of which is felt): cupido: cupiditas (the former considered as in action, and necessarily with a genitive of the object expressed or implied; the latter considered as a state, the passion of desire, opposed to tranquillity of mind: ☞ cupido “not found in Cic. or Caes.; common in the poets and historians; especially Tac., Sall.; twice in Quint.” Freund): appetitio (the act of endeavouring to obtain): appetitus (the state of endeavouring to obtain): appetentia (the desire itself, which seeks to obtain something): all with genitive of the object, alicujus rei: libido (the intemperate longing after anything; plur., libidines, desires = “lusts,” with reference to want of self-government): studium (the desire that leads to the zealous pursuit of anything). An insatiable desire, insatiabilis (quaedam) cupiditas (e.g., veri videndi; cognoscendi, Cic.): a marvellous desire, mirabilis (Nep.), mira (Tac.) cupiditas: an immoderate desire, immodica cupido (Liv.): blinded by desire, cupidine caecus (Lucr.): I feel an intense desire for anything, magnum me tenet desiderium alicujus rei (Cic.). A natural desire, desiderium naturale (e.g., cibi, potionis; opposed to voluptas): unless they were blinded by desire, nisi ipsos caecos redderet cupiditas (Cic.). To be inflamed, filled, etc., with desire of anything, alicujus rei desiderio incendi; (magno) alicujus rei desiderio teneri; aliquid appetere, concupiscere, desiderare: to be tormented with the desire of anything, alicujus rei desiderio flagrare, aestuare, excruciari, confici (Cic.); summa alicujus rei cupiditate affectum esse. I feel an intense desire to know, hear, etc. (valde) aveo scire, audire, etc.; libido est scire (Plaut.): to be stirred with desire, desiderio moveri: to inspire anybody with a desire of anything, dare or injicere alicui cupiditatem rei; impellere aliquem in rei cupiditatem [☞ inspirare cupiditatem alicui or aliquem cupiditate would be barbarous]; of doing anything, aliquem faciendi aliquid cupiditate incitare: to inflame anybody’s desire of anything, incendere alicujus cupiditatem alicujus rei: an intense and passionate desire is weakened, abates, etc., acerrima illa ac fortissima cupiditas imminuta ac debilitata est: to satisfy a desire, desiderium explere (Liv.): the desire of wealth, amor, cupiditas habendi [☞ not desiderium habendi].
Thing desired; wish, quae quis optat or vult (e.g., facere, to perform them): to satisfy anybody’s desires, quae quis optat or vult, facere; alicujus voluntati satisfacere or obsequi; aliquem voti compotem facere: to obtain one’s desires, optaturn impetro (ab aliquo); adipiscor, quod optaveram, or concupiveram: my desires have been satisfied, quae volui, mihi obtigerunt: my heart’s desire is satisfied, quod maxime cupio, mini contingit. More under WISH, Vid: DESIRE, v., appetere (endeavour to obtain): cupere: concupiscere: cupere: avidum esse alicujus rei (to desire vehemently and passionately; the last = to desire greedily): velle (to wish and co-operate towards the realization of one’s wish): desiderare (to be dissatisfied because one does not possess the object desired): optare (to wish; leaving the realization of the wish to others or to fate): expetere (to long for a distant object, and apply to others for the realization of one’s wish): avere (with following infinitive: to feel an impatient desire, especially to hear or learn something; often with valde): gestire, with following infinitive (to manifest a lively desire by gestures): to desire eagerly, ardenter cupere aliquid: cupiditate alicujus rei ardere, flagrare; desiderio alicujus rei magno teneri; sitire aliquid sitienter expetere aliquid: not to desire anything any longer, aliqua re carere posse. Everything is going on exactly as I could desire, cuncta mihi procedunt; nihil mihi accidit, quod nolim; fortuna in omnibus rebus respondet optatis meis: just as I, he, etc., could desire, ut volo, volumus, etc. ex sententia; ex optato; ad (alicujus) voluntatem: anything is going on just as I could desire, aliquid ex sententia succedit or procedit; aliquid optabilem exitum habet: hitherto all has been exactly as I could have desired, nihil adhuc mihi praeter voluntatem accidit.
To express one’s desire, velle aliquem, or ut (to wish to have somebody or something): petere: poscere: postulare [SYN. in ASK]: contendere ab aliquo, ut, etc.: to desire anything of anybody, postulare [☞ not desiderare] aliquid ab aliquo. What do you desire me to do? quid est, quod me velis? quid vis faciam? to desire the grace of pardon (Shakspeare), veniam ab aliquo petere (for any fault, alicujus delicti).
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for desire?
- The usual Latin words for “desire” are dēsīderium, cupīdō, cupiditās; also appetītiō, appetō, volō. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.