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desert
1[ dez-ert ]
/ ˈdɛz ərt /
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noun
adjective
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Origin of desert
1First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English adjective desert, deserd, diserte “barren, unproductive, dried up (lake), deserted (city),” from Anglo-French, Old French des(s)ert “uncultivated; without inhabitants,” from Late Latin dēsertum (neuter), noun use of past participle of Latin dēserere “to abandon, forsake,” equivalent to dē- prefix meaning “from, away from, out of ” + serere “to join together (in a line)”; see origin at de-, series
synonym study for desert
1, 2. Desert, waste, wilderness refer to areas that are largely uninhabited. Desert emphasizes lack of water (though not specifically high temperature); it refers to a dry, barren, treeless region, usually sandy: a high-altitude frozen desert. Waste emphasizes lack of inhabitants and of cultivation; it is used of wild, barren land: a desolate waste. Wilderness emphasizes the difficulty of finding one's way, whether because of barrenness or of dense vegetation: a trackless wilderness.
popular references for desert
— Desert : A novel by Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2008. The book, first published in French in 1980, was translated into English in 2009.
— Operation Desert Storm: An air campaign by the U.S. during the 1990–91 Gulf War.
— Conflict: Desert Storm: The first in the Conflict series of video games by game developers Pivotal Games. Released in 2002, it is set during the 1990–91 Gulf War.
OTHER WORDS FROM desert
de·ser·tic [dih-zur-tik], /dɪˈzɜr tɪk/, adjectivedes·ert·like, adjectiveWORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH desert
desert , dessertQuotations related to desert
- "Bedouin women tending flocks of goats are the brightest touch of color in the treeless, waterless, and harsh Negev desert. "-Ruth Craig Fodor’s Israel, 6th Edition (2006)
Words nearby desert
Other definitions for desert (2 of 3)
desert2
[ dih-zurt ]
/ dɪˈzɜrt /
verb (used with object)
to leave (a person, place, etc.) without intending to return, especially in violation of a duty, promise, or the like: He deserted his wife.
(of military personnel) to leave or run away from (service, duty, etc.) with the intention of never returning: Terrified of the approaching battle, he deserted his post just before dawn.
to fail (someone) at a time of need: None of his friends had deserted him.
verb (used without object)
to forsake or leave one's duty, obligations, etc. (sometimes followed by from, to, etc.): Many deserted during the food shortage.
(of military personnel) to leave service, duty, etc., with no intention of returning: Troops were deserting to the enemy.
Origin of desert
2First recorded in 1470–80; from Middle French déserter, from Medieval Latin dēsertāre “to desert; lay waste,” frequentative of Latin dēserere “to part company, leave, forsake,” literally “to undo the links,” equivalent to dē- prefix meaning “from, away from” + serere “to link together, entwine, interlace”; see also desert1
synonym study for desert
1. Desert, abandon, forsake mean to leave behind persons, places, or things. Desert implies intentionally violating an oath, formal obligation, or duty: to desert campaign pledges. Abandon suggests giving up wholly and finally, whether of necessity, unwillingly, or through shirking responsibilities: to abandon a hopeless task; abandon a child. Forsake has emotional connotations, since it implies violating obligations of affection or association: to forsake a noble cause.
OTHER WORDS FROM desert
de·sert·ed·ly, adverbde·sert·ed·ness, nounde·sert·er, nounQuotations related to desert
- "There used to be two kinds of kisses: First when girls were kissed and deserted; second, when they were engaged. Now there's a third kind, where the man is kissed and deserted. "-F. Scott Fitzgerald This Side of Paradise (1920)
- "Girty had deserted his military post at Port Pitt, and become an outlaw of his own volition. "-Zane Grey The Spirit of the Border (1906)
Other definitions for desert (3 of 3)
desert3
[ dih-zurt ]
/ dɪˈzɜrt /
noun
Usually deserts . reward or punishment that is deserved: Death was his desert.
the state or fact of deserving reward or punishment.
the state or condition of being worthy, as in character or behavior.
OTHER WORDS FOR desert
Origin of desert
3First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English noun desert, deseert, decert(e), from Old French deserte, noun use of feminine past participle of deservir “to serve devotedly”; see origin at deserve
synonym study for desert
3. Desert, merit, worth refer to the quality in a person, action, or thing that entitles recognition, especially favorable recognition. Desert is the quality that entitles one to a just reward: according to her deserts. Merit is usually the excellence that entitles to praise: a person of great merit. Worth is always used in a favorable sense and signifies inherent value or goodness: The worth of your contribution is incalculable.
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH desert
deserts , dessertsQuotations related to desert
- "The words of the Divina Commedia are still the mightiest and most living words in which man has ever painted in detail the true deserts of sin, penitence, and sanctity. "-Rev. John C. Eccleston, from his lectures on Dante Alighieri The Churchman, vol. 53 (January 2, 1886)
- "I have no sympathy with those who invested their money in slave property. They not only received their just deserts in having their property confiscated, but they should have been compelled to make restitution to the last penny to the poor slaves whom they had systematically robbed. "-Timothy Thomas Fortune Black and White: Land, Labor, and Politics in the South (1884)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use desert in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for desert (1 of 3)
desert1
/ (ˈdɛzət) /
noun
a region that is devoid or almost devoid of vegetation, esp because of low rainfall
an uncultivated uninhabited region
a place which lacks some desirable feature or qualitya cultural desert
(modifier) of, relating to, or like a desert; infertile or desolate
Word Origin for desert
C13: from Old French, from Church Latin dēsertum, from Latin dēserere to abandon, literally: to sever one's links with, from de- + serere to bind together
British Dictionary definitions for desert (2 of 3)
desert2
/ (dɪˈzɜːt) /
verb
(tr) to leave or abandon (a person, place, etc) without intending to return, esp in violation of a duty, promise, or obligation
military to abscond from (a post or duty) with no intention of returning
(tr) to fail (someone) in time of needhis good humour temporarily deserted him
(tr) Scots law to give up or postpone (a case or charge)
Derived forms of desert
deserter, noundeserted, adjectiveWord Origin for desert
C15: from French déserter, from Late Latin dēsertāre, from Latin dēserere to forsake; see desert 1
British Dictionary definitions for desert (3 of 3)
desert3
/ (dɪˈzɜːt) /
noun
(often plural) something that is deserved or merited; just reward or punishment
the state of deserving a reward or punishment
virtue or merit
Word Origin for desert
C13: from Old French deserte, from deservir to deserve
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for desert
desert
[ dĕz′ərt ]
A large, dry, barren region, usually having sandy or rocky soil and little or no vegetation. Water lost to evaporation and transpiration in a desert exceeds the amount of precipitation; most deserts average less than 25 cm (9.75 inches) of precipitation each year, concentrated in short local bursts. Deserts cover about one fifth of the Earth's surface, with the principal warm deserts located mainly along the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn, where warm, rising equatorial air masses that have already lost most of their moisture descend over the subtropical regions. Cool deserts are located at higher elevations in the temperate regions, often on the lee side of a barrier mountain range where the prevailing winds drop their moisture before crossing the range.
A Closer Look
A desert is defined not by temperature but by the sparse amount of water found in a region. An area with an annual rainfall of fewer than 25 centimeters (9.75 inches) generally qualifies as a desert. In spite of the dryness, however, some animals and plants have adapted to desert life and thrive in these harsh environments. While different animals live in different types of deserts, the dominant animals of warm deserts are reptiles, including snakes and lizards, small mammals, such as ground squirrels and mice, and arthropods, such as scorpions and beetles. These animals are usually nocturnal, spending the day resting in the shade of plants or burrowed in the ground, and emerging in the evenings to hunt or eat. Warm-desert plants are mainly ground-hugging shrubs, small wooded trees, and cacti. Plant and animal life is scarcer in the cool desert, where the precipitation falls mainly as snow. Plants are generally scattered mosses and grasses that are able to survive the cold by remaining low to the ground, avoiding the wind, and animal life can include both large and small mammals, such as deer and jackrabbits, as well as a variety of raptors and other birds.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Other Idioms and Phrases with desert
desert
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.