desirable

Pronunciation

• IPA: /dɪˈzaɪəɹəbəl/ (UK); /dɪˈzaɪɹəbəl/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Middle English desirable, borrowed from Old French desirable,^[2][3][4] from desirer (“to desire”) (see desire) and -able,^[2][3] suggested by Latin dēsīderābilis, from dēsīderō (“to desire”).^[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

Worthy to be desired: 1382 in the OED, the late 14th century in Etymonline.^[5][2] In Middle English it sometimes meant desired, hoped for, welcome.^[2]

Semantic evolution

Regrettable is a sense from 1650,^[5] and full of desire an obsolete one from 1759.^[5] The noun, a desirable thing, is from 1645,^[5][3] and a desirable person from 1669.^[5] Arousing sexual desire is a later sense,^[6][7] and a desirable residence is the language of estate agents.^[7]

Timeline

• 1382 – worthy to be desired.^[5]
• 1645 – a desirable (noun).^[5][3]
• 1650 – regrettable (obsolete).^[5]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Worth having or seeking; useful, advantageous or pleasing.
2. Advisable: it is desirable that you attend.
3. Sexually attractive.

Noun

1. A desirable person or thing.

Word family

• desirability
• desirably
• desirableness

Related words

• desire
• desirous
• desideratum
• consider

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b c d Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b Pearsall, Judy, ed. (1998), The New Oxford Dictionary of English, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b c d e f g h Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
6. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
7. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins