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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.44 [gcide]:
Desire \De*sire"\, verb (used with an object) [imp. & p. p. {Desired}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Desiring}.] [F. d['e]sirer, L. desiderare, origin uncertain, perh. fr. de- + sidus star, constellation, and hence orig., to turn the eyes from the stars. Cf. {Consider}, and {Desiderate}, and see {Sidereal}.]
1. To long for; to wish for earnestly; to covet.
Neither shall any man desire thy land. --Ex. xxxiv. 24.
Ye desire your child to live. --Tennyson.
2. To express a wish for; to entreat; to request.
Then she said, Did I desire a son of my lord? --2 Kings iv. 28.
Desire him to go in; trouble him no more. --Shak.
3. To require; to demand; to claim. [Obs.]
A doleful case desires a doleful song. --Spenser.
4. To miss; to regret. [Obs.]
She shall be pleasant while she lives, and desired when she dies. --Jer. Taylor.
Syn: To long for; hanker after; covet; wish; ask; request; solicit; entreat; beg.
Usage: To {Desire}, {Wish}. In desire the feeling is usually more eager than in wish. ''I wish you to do this'' is a milder form of command than ''I desire you to do this,'' though the feeling prompting the injunction may be the same. --C. J. Smith.
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