First Known Use: 13th century
Dictionary
1desert
noun des·ert \ˈde-zərt\
Definition of DESERT
1
2
archaic : a wild uninhabited and uncultivated tract
3
: a desolate or forbidding area <lost in a desert of doubt>
— de·ser·tic \de-ˈzər-tik\ adjective
— des·ert·like \-ˌlīk\ adjective
ADVERTISEMENT
Examples of DESERT
- Satellite images taken this year and 20 years ago show that the desert is in retreat thanks to a resurgence of trees. —Andy Coghlan, New Scientist, 14-20 Oct. 2006
- The coastal plain is a desert in terms of precipitation—less than six inches fall annually—but what falls as snow stays to be later distributed by the wind. —John Hildebrand, Harper's, November 2003
- The house finch, a songbird native to the Western desert, has proved to be highly adaptable, having rapidly colonized the Eastern states after its release on Long Island in the early 1940's. —Jane E. Brody, New York Times, 1 Jan. 2002
- [+]more
Origin of DESERT
Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin desertum, from Latin, neuter of desertus, past participle of deserere to desert, from de- + serere to join together — more at series
Other Geology Terms
Rhymes with DESERT
advert, alert, assert, avert, bellwort, birthwort, Blackshirt, brownshirt, bush shirt, camp shirt, colewort, concert, convert, covert, dessert, dissert, divert, dress shirt, evert, exert, expert, exsert, figwort, fleawort, glasswort, hair shirt, Hastert, hornwort, inert, insert, invert, lousewort, lungwort, madwort, milkwort, mugwort, nightshirt, outskirt, overt, pay dirt, pervert, pilewort, ragwort, redshirt, revert, ribwort, saltwort, sandwort, Schubert, seagirt, sea squirt, soapwort, spearwort, spleenwort, stitchwort, stonewort, stuffed shirt, subvert, sweatshirt, toothwort, T-shirt, ungirt
2desert
adjective des·ert \ˈde-zərt\
Definition of DESERT
2
: of or relating to a desert (see 1desert)
3
archaic : forsaken
Examples of DESERT
- While my very American mother swabbed the dishes, Dad lingered at the dinner table, recreating in visceral detail the taste of mint in a Bedouin teacup under a desert sky, or the golden plumage of his father's saluki dogs, or the filigreed robes of the young king at the camel races. —Diana Abu-Jaber, Vogue, May 2007
- … the place in the Texas Panhandle where Highway 66 rolled down off the land of farms and ranches into the beginnings of the desert grassland and red-rock country that dominated New Mexico. —Susan Croce Kelly, Route 66, 1988
- [+]more
Origin of DESERT
(see 1desert)
First Known Use: 13th century
Other Ecology Terms
3desert
noun de·sert \di-ˈzərt\
Definition of DESERT
1
: the quality or fact of meriting reward or punishment
2
: deserved reward or punishment —usually used in plural <got their just deserts>
3
: excellence, worth
Origin of DESERT
Middle English deserte, from Anglo-French, from feminine of desert, past participle of deservir to deserve
First Known Use: 13th century
4desert
verb de·sert \di-ˈzərt\
: to go away from (a place) : to leave (a place)
: to leave and stop helping or supporting (someone or something)
of a useful quality or ability : to no longer be with (someone) in a time of need
Full Definition of DESERT
transitive verb
1
: to withdraw from or leave usually without intent to return <desert a town>
2
a : to leave in the lurch <desert a friend in trouble> b : to abandon (military service) without leave
intransitive verb
: to quit one's post, allegiance, or service without leave or justification; especially : to abandon military duty without leave and without intent to return
— de·sert·er noun
See desert defined for English-language learners
Examples of DESERT
- Boulet saw his longtime partner desert him in the midst of the storm, then had his wife and daughter skip town in its aftermath. —Mike Flaherty, TV Guide, 10-16 Sept. 2007
- Left alone for a moment, he feels mournful, bereft—and then panicky, when he thinks he has been deserted again. —Richard Corliss, Time, 7 Mar. 2005
- But now the building seemed deserted at two in the afternoon, and I soon learned that the paper, incredibly, was forced to advertise for applicants to the staff. —Arthur Miller, Timebends,1987
- [+]more
Origin of DESERT
French déserter, from Late Latin desertare, frequentative of Latin deserere
First Known Use: 1603
Related to DESERT
- Synonyms
- defect (from), rat (on)
- Antonyms
- reclaim
Synonym Discussion of DESERT
abandon, desert, forsake mean to leave without intending to return. abandon suggests that the thing or person left may be helpless without protection <abandoned children>. desert implies that the object left may be weakened but not destroyed by one's absence <a deserted town>. forsake suggests an action more likely to bring impoverishment or bereavement to that which is forsaken than its exposure to physical dangers <a forsaken lover>.
DESERTS Defined for Kids
1desert
noun des·ert \ˈde-zərt\
Definition of DESERT for Kids
: a dry land with few plants and little rainfall
2desert
noun de·sert \di-ˈzərt\
Definition of DESERT for Kids
: a reward or punishment that a person deserves <He got his just deserts.>
3desert
verb de·sert \di-ˈzərt\
de·sert·edde·sert·ing
Definition of DESERT for Kids
1
: to leave usually without intending to return <The entire population deserted the town.>
2
: to leave a person or a thing that one should stay with <The soldier did not desert his post.>
3
: to fail in time of need <My courage deserted me.>
— de·sert·er noun
Headscratcher for DESERT
There are three words spelled desert. One means a dry land, one means what a person deserves, and one means to abandon a place or person. But none mean the goodies you eat after dinner—that's your dessert!
Learn More About DESERT
Browse
Next Word in the Dictionary: desert armorPrevious Word in the Dictionary: desensitizeAll Words Near: desert
ADVERTISEMENT
Seen & Heard
What made you want to look up desert? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).