LaTeX - Description list - Split the item across multiple lines

Answer 1

Don't use the brackets:

\item foo foo foo foo foo 

Answer 2

Changing the description environment in the preamble, using mdwlist: \usepackage{mdwlist}

\renewenvironment{description}%
{
\begin{basedescript}{
\desclabelstyle{\nextlinelabel}
\renewcommand{\makelabel}[1]{%
\parbox[b]{\textwidth}{\bfseries##1}%
}%
\desclabelwidth{2em}}}
{
\end{basedescript}
}