desert
/ˈdɛz.ɚt/
Word Rarity
Uncommon
Frequency: 4.40 in modern English
7
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars
Meaning
noun
A barren area of land or desolate terrain, especially one with little water or vegetation; a wasteland.
Countable; Uncountable
noun
A barren area of land or desolate terrain, especially one with little water or vegetation; a wasteland.
Countable; Uncountable
adj
Usually of a place: abandoned, deserted, or uninhabited.
verb
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.
verb
To leave one's duty or post, especially to leave a military or naval unit without permission.
noun
That which is deserved or merited; a just punishment or reward.
Example Sentences
- "And ye poore Pilgrimes, that vvith reſtleſſe toyle VVearie your ſelues in vvandring deſert vvayes […]"
- "Not thus the land appear'd in ages past, A dreary desert and a gloomy waste."
- "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."
- "The desert storm was riding in its strength; the travellers lay beneath the mastery of the fell simoom. Whirling wreaths and columns of burning wind, rushed around and over them."
- "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."
- "By contrast, the WR route is an economic desert between Newbury and Taunton."
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.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˈdɛz.ɚt/
- British English: /ˈdɛz.ət/