desire (English)
Where does "desire" come from?
The English word 'desire' traces back to the Latin verb dēsīderō, which suggested a longing for something, perhaps originating from the astrological practice of wishing upon a star. It passed through Old French as desirer before entering Middle English as desir, eventually displacing the native Old English term wilnung. Today, it encapsulates a wide range of human longing, from simple wishes to intense romantic or physical attraction.
Full etymology tree
- desire (English), 'The feeling of desiring; an eager longing for something.'
- inherited desir (Middle English), 'desire (want, lust)'
- learned borrowing desirer (Old French), 'alternative form of desirrer (“to desire”)'
- inherited dēsīderō (Latin), 'to want, desire, wish for, long for'
- compound dē- (Latin), 'of; from'
- compound sīdus (Latin), 'group of stars, constellation, asterism'
- inherited *sīþos (Proto-Italic)
- inherited *sh₂i-dʰh₁-o- (Proto-Indo-European)
- derived *sh₂ey- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to bind, fetter'
- inherited *sh₂i-dʰh₁-o- (Proto-Indo-European)
- inherited *sīþos (Proto-Italic)
- inherited dēsīderō (Latin), 'to want, desire, wish for, long for'
- learned borrowing desirer (Old French), 'alternative form of desirrer (“to desire”)'
- inherited desir (Middle English), 'desire (want, lust)'
Direct ancestors
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris