long-cherished desire; long-held aspiration
A formal, literary term for a deeply held wish or ambition nurtured over a long time. Rare in everyday speech; found mainly in classical or elevated writing.
He fulfilled his long-cherished desire and finally became a doctor.
Compound of 夙 (early, long-standing) and 志 (will, aspiration). The exact historical derivation is uncertain; the word appears in classical Chinese and was adopted into literary Japanese.