desire (n.)
A desire is a feeling of wanting something.
English got the word through Old French from Latin desiderare. In Latin, the verb could mean to long for something, but also to miss it or feel its absence.12
There is a well-known explanation that connects desiderare with sidus, star or constellation. On that reading, the word may once have carried an idea connected with looking to the stars or waiting for what they would bring.12
The exact origin is not certain. Etymologists have proposed other explanations too, so the neat claim that desire simply means something like “from the stars” goes further than the evidence allows.2
What is secure is the older sense of longing for what is absent.
He had a strong desire to go home.