Desiderata

This is the first installment of the ever-growing list of my favorite words. The list begins with the word desiderata, not because it's my most favorite word but because it is, simply, the first word on my list.

The noun desiderata is the plural of desideratum and means "things wanted or needed" as well as necessary things, aspects, elements, etc. The word originates from the past participle of the Latin verb dēsīderāre, "to desire, long for."

Here's an example of use from the comment thread to this EotAW post:

So while this is the biggest piece of financial reform legislation since the New Deal, it manages to reaffirm a lot of the post-Reagan conservative desiderata.

I like this word because of its alliteration, as well as the fact that it encapsulates nuance and complexity in a single little word, as so many of my favorite words seem to do!

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