desperate (English)

Where does "desperate" come from?

The English adjective 'desperate' comes from Middle English 'desperat(e)'[1]. This was borrowed from the Latin word 'dēspērātus', which functions as the perfect passive participle of 'dēspērō', meaning to be without hope[1]. The Latin verb itself combines the prefix 'de-' with 'spērō'[3], tracing ultimately back to the Proto-Indo-European root '*speh₁-'.

Open questions

• The ultimate connection to the Proto-Indo-European root '*speh₁-' is reconstructed and relies on comparative linguistic analysis rather than direct attestation.

Full etymology tree

• desperate (English), 'In dire need (of something); having a dire need or desire.'
  • borrowed desperat(e (Middle English)
    • borrowed desperatus (Latin), 'desperate, hopeless'
      • derived despero (Latin), 'to have no hope of'
        • prefix de- (Latin), 'of; from'
        • derived spero (Latin), 'to hope, expect'

Ancestors

• *speh₁- (Proto-Indo-European)
• desperatus (Latin)
• -ate (English)

Descendants and derived words

• desperately (English)
• desperateness (English)
• desperate times call for desperate measures (English)
• desperate times require desperate measures (English)
• desperation (English)
• nondesperate (English)
• overdesperate (English)
• undesperate (English)

Sources

1. desperate (English) - Wiktionary
2. desperatus (Latin) - Wiktionary
3. despero (Latin) - Wiktionary

Updated August 2026

More words starting with D

Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris