desert

Definition

A barren area of land or desolate terrain, especially one with little water or vegetation; a wasteland.

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.

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."