désireux

Forms

désireux (feminine désireuse, masculine plural désireux, feminine plural désireuses)^[1] Old French desirrous, with the feminine desirruse in the Vie de saint Alexis.^[1][2] A 13th-century text has desierrous.^[3] The modern spelling désireux is recorded from the end of the 15th century.^[4]

Etymology

It is formed from French désirer + -eux.^[2][5][6] The Trésor compares the Late Latin adjective dēsīderōsus of the same meaning,^[2] and Bloch and Wartburg and the GLLF allow that the French word may continue that Latin form directly.^[7][4] désirer is from Latin dēsīderō (“to miss, long for”).^[7]

Cognate with Old Occitan deziros, Catalan desitjós, Spanish deseoso, Portuguese desejoso and Italian desideroso.^[3][7]

Earliest recorded meaning

It is first found about 1050 in the Vie de saint Alexis, in the line Ainz que t'vedisse, si'n fui mult desirruse “before I saw you, I longed for it greatly”.^[3][2]

Semantic evolution

From the start the adjective had the active sense “who desires”, as it still has.^[8][6] In the 16th century it was used with a noun complement, as in Amyot's desireux d'ouïr et d'apprendre and Montaigne's plus desireux de grande que de bonne reputation;^[3] the Petit Robert labels désireux de with a noun (glory, honours, wealth) as old-fashioned, while désireux de with an infinitive, “wanting to, eager to”, is the modern use.^[6] Used on its own, of a feeling or a look that shows desire, or as a noun (un désireux, la désireuse), it is rare and literary.^[2]

English desirous (about 1300) comes from the Anglo-Norman and Old French adjective.^[9]

Timeline

• c. 1050 – The feminine desirruse appears in the Vie de saint Alexis.^[2][3]
• 13th century – The form desierrous is recorded.^[3]
• c. 1300 – English borrows the Anglo-Norman word as desirous.^[9]
• Late 15th century – The spelling désireux is recorded.^[4]
• 16th century – Amyot and Montaigne use desireux de with a noun or an infinitive.^[3]

Meanings

Adjective

1. Désireux de (with an infinitive): eager or wishing to do something, as in désireux de bien faire, il arriva en avance.^[6][4]
2. (dated) Désireux de (with a noun): desirous of, longing for something, as in désireux d'honneurs.^[6][3]
3. (rare, literary) Full of or showing désir, especially carnal desire.^[2]

Related words

• désir
• désirable
• Latin dēsīderō
• English desirous

References

1. ^ a b c Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
4. ^ a b c d Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
5. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
6. ^ a b c d e Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
7. ^ a b c Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
8. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com