desert

English Online Dictionary. What means desert‎? What does desert mean?

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English desert (“wilderness”), from Old French desert, from Latin dēsertum, past participle of dēserō (“to abandon”). Generally displaced native Old English wēsten.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈdɛz.ət/
• (General American) enPR: dĕz'ərt, IPA^(key): /ˈdɛz.ɚt/
• (Appalachians, obsolete) enPR: dəzärt', IPA^(key): /dəˈzɑɹt/
• Rhymes: -ɛzə(ɹ)t

Noun

desert (countable and uncountable, plural deserts)

1. A barren area of land or desolate terrain, especially one with little water or vegetation; a wasteland.
   1. In particular, a barren, arid area of land which is hot, with sandy, rocky, or parched ground.
2. (figuratively) Any barren place or situation.

Derived terms

Translations

Adjective

desert (not comparable)

1. Usually of a place: abandoned, deserted, or uninhabited.

   Synonyms: forsaken, peopleless, vacant; see also Thesaurus:abandoned, Thesaurus:uninhabited

Translations

References

Etymology 2

Borrowed from French déserter, from Late Latin desertō, from Latin desertus, from deserō (“abandon”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /dɪˈzɜːt/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /dɪˈzɝt/, /dəˈzɝt/
• Homophone: dessert
• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)t

Verb

desert (third-person singular simple present deserts, present participle deserting, simple past and past participle deserted)

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.

2. To leave one's duty or post, especially to leave a military or naval unit without permission.

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology 3

From Middle English desert, deseert, from Old French deserte, from deservir (“to deserve”), from Vulgar Latin dēserviō (“to gain or merit by giving service”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /dɪˈzɜːt/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /dɪˈzɝt/, /dəˈzɝt/, enPR: dĭ-'zûrt
• Homophone: dessert
• Rhymes: -ɜː(ɹ)t

Noun

desert (plural deserts)

2. (often in the plural; now chiefly technical (in philosophy) or fossil) That which is deserved or merited; a just punishment or reward.
   • July 4, 1789, Alexander Hamilton, Eulogium on Major-General Greene

     His reputation falls far below his desert.

Usage notes

• Sometimes confused with dessert, especially in set phrases such as just deserts.

Derived terms

Translations

Etymology 4

Noun

desert (countable and uncountable, plural deserts)

1. Obsolete form of dessert.

Anagrams

• dreest, Deters, rested, deters

Catalan

Etymology

First attested in the 14th century. Likely a Semi-learned borrowing from Latin dēsertum.

Pronunciation

Noun

desert m (plural deserts)

1. desert (desolate terrain)

References

Further reading

• “desert” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “desert” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “desert” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Friulian

Alternative forms

• disiert

Etymology

From Latin dēsertum (in this form possibly a semi-learned term; cf. the variant form).

Noun

desert m (plural deserts)

1. desert

Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old French deserte (“deserved”), from deservir (“to deserve”), from Vulgar Latin dēserviō (“to gain or merit by giving service”).

Alternative forms

• deserte, deseert, desserte, decert, decerte, disert, dissert, dyssert

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dɛːˈzɛrt/, /dɛˈzɛrt/, /-sɛrt/

Noun

desert (plural desertes)

2. The situation of deserving something.
3. That which is deserved or merited; desert.
4. An action or deed which invites or prompts judgement.
5. worth, virtuousness, benefit; that which is good.

Descendants

• English: desert

References

• “dē̆sert, n.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.
• “desert, n.1.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1895.

Etymology 2

From Old French desert, from Latin dēsertum, past participle of dēserō (“to abandon”).

Alternative forms

• deserte, deseert, desarte, decert, disert, diserte, dysserte, dezert, deserd

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdɛzɛrt/, /dɛˈzɛrt/, /dɛː-/, /-sɛrt/, /-art/

Noun

desert (plural desertes)

2. wilderness (unpopulated, bare land)

Descendants

• English: desert
• Scots: desert

References

• “dē̆sert, n.(2).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Adjective

desert

1. (of places) barren, wild
2. (usually of places) deserted, abandoned

Descendants

• English: desert

References

• “dē̆sert, ppl.”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Middle French

Etymology

From Old French desert.

Noun

desert m (plural desers)

1. desert (desolate terrain)

Descendants

• French: désert

Old French

Etymology

Probably borrowed from Latin dēsertum.

Noun

desert oblique singular, m (oblique plural deserz or desertz, nominative singular deserz or desertz, nominative plural desert)

1. desert (desolate terrain)

Descendants

• Middle French: desert
  • French: désert

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French dessert.

Pronunciation

Noun

desert n (plural deserturi)

1. dessert

Declension

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

Borrowed from French dessert.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /děsert/
• Hyphenation: de‧sert

Noun

dèsert m (Cyrillic spelling дѐсерт)

1. dessert

   Antonym: predjelo

Declension

References

• “desert”, in Hrvatski jezični portal [Croatian language portal] (in Serbo-Croatian), 2006–2025