1. expressing or indicating desire or wish
Usage: grammar; linguistics

1. a verb form or construction that expresses desire or wish
Usage: grammar; linguistics

Examples

• The desiderative mood in Sanskrit expresses the speaker’s wish to perform an action.
• Latin has desiderative verbs that indicate wanting to do something.
• The teacher explained the desiderative construction in ancient Greek.
• Some languages use desiderative particles to show desire.
• The desiderative form often translates as ‘wanting to’ in English.
• Linguists study desiderative expressions across different language families.