From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdesideratumde‧sid‧e‧ra‧tum /dɪˌzɪdəˈrɑːtəm, -ˈreɪ-, -ˌsɪd- $ dɪˌsɪdəˈreɪtəm, -ˈrɑː-/ noun (plural desiderata /-tə/) [countable] formal NEEDsomething that is wanted or needed
Examples from the Corpus
desideratum• Hutcheson over-simplified and distorted the truth by treating benevolence as the one moral desideratum.• Imposed management is a necessary desideratum, as 11.3 million ha of mature forest land is being lost annually.• What is one institution's discard is another's desideratum.• Devout dedication was the desideratum for soul-sacrifice.Origin desideratum (1600-1700) Latin desiderare; → DESIRE2 