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Desert
Definitions
- 1 Usually of a place: abandoned, deserted, or uninhabited. not-comparable
"They were marooned on a desert island in the Pacific."
- 1 A barren area of land or desolate terrain, especially one with little water or vegetation; a wasteland. countable, uncountable
"And ye poore Pilgrimes, that vvith reſtleſſe toyle VVearie your ſelues in vvandring deſert vvayes […]"
- 2 That which is deserved or merited; a just punishment or reward. in-plural, often
"just deserts"
- 3 Obsolete form of dessert. alt-of, countable, obsolete, uncountable
"Francis, besides being an excellent Cook, knowing how to provide genteel Dinners, and giving aid in dressing them, prepared the Desert, made the Cake, and did every thing that Hyde & wife conjointly do;—[…]"
- 4 (usually plural) a person's deservingness of or entitlement to reward or punishment wordnet
- 5 A barren area of land or desolate terrain, especially one with little water or vegetation; a wasteland.; In particular, a barren, arid area of land which is hot, with sandy, rocky, or parched ground. countable, uncountable
"It is wholly out of the power of language to convey any idea of the blissful enjoyment of obtaining water, after an almost total want of it, during eight and forty hours, in the scorching regions of an Arabian desert, in the month of July."
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- 6 arid land with little or no vegetation wordnet
- 7 Any barren place or situation. countable, figuratively, uncountable
"He declared that the country was an intellectual desert; that he was famishing for spiritual aliment, and for discourse on matters beyond mere nuggets, prospectings, and the price of gold."
- 1 To leave (anything that depends on one's presence to survive, exist, or succeed), especially when contrary to a promise or obligation; to abandon; to forsake.
"You can't just drive off and desert me here, in the middle of nowhere."
- 2 leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch wordnet
- 3 To leave one's duty or post, especially to leave a military or naval unit without permission.
"Anyone found deserting will be punished."
- 4 leave behind wordnet
- 5 desert (a cause, a country or an army), often in order to join the opposing cause, country, or army wordnet
Etymology
From Middle English desert (“wilderness”), from Old French desert, from Latin dēsertum, past participle of dēserō (“to abandon”). Generally displaced native Old English wēsten. False cognate of Egyptian dšrt.
From Middle English desert (“wilderness”), from Old French desert, from Latin dēsertum, past participle of dēserō (“to abandon”). Generally displaced native Old English wēsten. False cognate of Egyptian dšrt.
Borrowed from French déserter, from Late Latin desertō, from Latin desertus, from deserō (“abandon”).
From Middle English desert, deseert, from Old French deserte, from deservir (“to deserve”), from Vulgar Latin dēserviō (“to gain or merit by giving service”).
See also for "desert"
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