Livia Iacolare

Photo: “The Starry Night” by Vincent van Gogh

The word desire derives from the latin verb desidero which means “I watch the stars”.

The Italian philosopher Umberto Galimberti gives an example of the use of this verb in an ancient text:

The etymology of the word desire brings us back to the book De bello Gallico: the desiderantes were those soldiers who used to wait at night for the return of those who had been fighting during the day. Here is the meaning of the verb desire: to wait under the stars.

But desire might also derive from: “de” which means being far, distant and “siderium” which means star (sidus, sideris). A condition of being far from something that transmits warmth, light, emotions. A similar meaning was attributed to this verb by Seneca in his Consolatio ad Helviam matrem, in which he talks about his exile.

Whatever is the exact etymology of this verb, it originally brings along a sense of nostalgy, distance and regret.