desert

des·ert ¹  (dzrt)

n.

1. A barren or desolate area, especially:

a. A dry, often sandy region of little rainfall, extreme temperatures, and sparse vegetation.

b. A region of permanent cold that is largely or entirely devoid of life.

c. An apparently lifeless area of water.

2. An empty or forsaken place; a wasteland: a cultural desert.

3. Archaic A wild, uncultivated, and uninhabited region.

adj.

1. Of, relating to, characteristic of, or inhabiting a desert: desert fauna.

2. Barren and uninhabited; desolate: a desert island.

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[Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin dsertum, from neuter past participle of dserere, to desert; see desert³.]

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de·sert ²  (d-zûrt)

n.

1. Something that is deserved or merited, especially a punishment. Often used in the plural: They got their just deserts when the scheme was finally uncovered.

2. The state or fact of deserving reward or punishment.

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[Middle English, from Old French deserte, from feminine past participle of deservir, to deserve; see deserve.]

Word History: When Shakespeare says in Sonnet 72, "Unless you would devise some virtuous lie,/To do more for me than mine own desert," he is using the word desert in the sense of "worthiness; deserving," a word perhaps most familiar to us in the plural, meaning "something that is deserved," as in the phrase just deserts. This word goes back to the Latin word dservre, "to devote oneself to the service of," which in Vulgar Latin came to mean "to merit by service." Dservre is made up of d-, meaning "thoroughly," and servre, "to serve." Knowing this, we can distinguish this desert from desert, "a wasteland," and desert, "to abandon," both of which go back to Latin dserere, "to forsake, leave uninhabited," which is made up of d-, expressing the notion of undoing, and the verb serere, "to link together." We can also distinguish all three deserts from dessert, "a sweet course at the end of a meal," which is from the French word desservir, "to clear the table." Desservir is made up of des-, expressing the notion of reversal, and servir (from Latin servre), "to serve," hence, "to unserve" or "to clear the table."

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de·sert ³  (d-zûrt)

v. de·sert·ed, de·sert·ing, de·serts

v.tr.

1. To leave empty or alone; abandon.

2. To withdraw from, especially in spite of a responsibility or duty; forsake: deserted her friend in a time of need.

3. To abandon (a military post, for example) in violation of orders or an oath.

v.intr.

To forsake one's duty or post, especially to be absent without leave from the armed forces with no intention of returning.

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[French déserter, from Late Latin dsertre, frequentative of Latin dserere, to abandon : d-, de- + serere, to join; see ser-² in Indo-European roots.]

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de·serter n.

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desert¹

n

1. (Earth Sciences / Physical Geography) a region that is devoid or almost devoid of vegetation, esp because of low rainfall

2. (Earth Sciences / Physical Geography) an uncultivated uninhabited region

3. a place which lacks some desirable feature or quality a cultural desert

4. (Earth Sciences / Physical Geography) (modifier) of, relating to, or like a desert; infertile or desolate

[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]

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desert²

vb

1. (tr) to leave or abandon (a person, place, etc.) without intending to return, esp in violation of a duty, promise, or obligation

2. (Military) Military to abscond from (a post or duty) with no intention of returning

3. (tr) to fail (someone) in time of need his good humour temporarily deserted him

4. (Law) (tr) Scots law to give up or postpone (a case or charge)

[from French déserter, from Late Latin dēsertāre, from Latin dēserere to forsake; see desert¹]

deserter  n

deserted  adj

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desert³

n

1. (often plural) something that is deserved or merited; just reward or punishment

2. the state of deserving a reward or punishment

3. virtue or merit

[from Old French deserte, from deservir to deserve]

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desert  (dzrt)

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.

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Desert of lapwing: flock of lapwing—Bk. of St. Albans, 1486.

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	desert - arid land with little or no vegetation biome - a major biotic community characterized by the dominant forms of plant life and the prevailing climate oasis - a fertile tract in a desert (where the water table approaches the surface) parcel of land, piece of ground, piece of land, tract, parcel - an extended area of land
Verb	1.	desert - leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch; "The mother deserted her children" desolate, forsake, abandon leave - go and leave behind, either intentionally or by neglect or forgetfulness; "She left a mess when she moved out"; "His good luck finally left him"; "her husband left her after 20 years of marriage"; "she wept thinking she had been left behind" expose - abandon by leaving out in the open air; "The infant was exposed by the teenage mother"; "After Christmas, many pets get abandoned" walk out - leave suddenly, often as an expression of disapproval; "She walked out on her husband and children" ditch - forsake; "ditch a lover" maroon, strand - leave stranded or isolated with little hope of rescue; "the travellers were marooned"
	2.	desert - desert (a cause, a country or an army), often in order to join the opposing cause, country, or army; "If soldiers deserted Hitler's army, they were shot" defect flee, take flight, fly - run away quickly; "He threw down his gun and fled" rat - desert one's party or group of friends, for example, for one's personal advantage
	3.	desert - leave behind; "the students deserted the campus after the end of exam period" go forth, leave, go away - go away from a place; "At what time does your train leave?"; "She didn't leave until midnight"; "The ship leaves at midnight"

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desert¹

noun

wilderness, waste, wilds, wasteland, dust bowl The vehicles have been modified to suit conditions in the desert.

adjective

barren, dry, waste, wild, empty, bare, lonely, solitary, desolate, arid, unproductive, infertile, uninhabited, uncultivated, unfruitful, untilled the desert wastes of Mexico

Deserts

Arabian, Atacama, Dasht-i-Lut or Dasht-e-Lut, Death Valley, Gibson, Gobi, Great Sandy, Great Victoria, Kalahari, Kara Kum, Kyzyl Kum, Libyan, Mohave or Mojave, Nubian, Rub'al Khali, Sahara, Taklimakan Shama, Thar

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desert²

verb

1. abandon, leave, give up, quit (informal), withdraw from, move out of, relinquish, renounce, vacate, forsake, go away from, leave empty, relinquish possession of Poor farmers are deserting their fields and looking for jobs.

2. leave, abandon, dump (informal), strand, ditch (informal), betray, maroon, walk out on (informal), forsake, jilt, run out on (informal), throw over, leave stranded, leave high and dry, leave (someone) in the lurch Her husband deserted her years ago.
leave maintain, look after, sustain, take care of, provide for, succour, be a source of strength to

3. abscond, flee, defect, decamp, go AWOL (informal), go absent without leave, go over the hill (Military slang), take French leave He deserted from the army last month.

Translations

desert¹ [ˈdezət]

A. N → desierto m

B. CPD [climate, region] → desértico; [tribe, people] → del desierto
desert boots NPL → botines mpl de ante
desert island N → isla f desierta
desert rat N (Mil) → rata f del desierto

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desert² [dɪˈzɜːt]

A. VT (Mil, Jur etc) → desertar de; [+ person] → abandonar
his courage deserted him → su valor le abandonó or se esfumó

B. VI (Mil) → desertar (from, to de a)

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desert [ˈdɛzə^rt]

n

(= arid land) → désert m

(fig) (= grim place) → désert m

[dɪˈzɜː^rt] vb

vt

(= leave) [+ place] → déserter, abandonner

(= abandon) [+ wife, family] → abandonner
to be deserted by sb [+ husband, supporter] → être abandonné(e) par qn

vi [soldier] → déserter
to desert from the army → déserter l'armée
desert boot [ˈdɛzə^rtbuːt] n → chaussure en daim et à lacets)f montante >

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desert¹

n (lit, fig) → Wüste f

adj attr → Wüsten-; desert landscape → Wüstenlandschaft f; desert warfare → Wüstenkrieg m

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desert²

vt (= leave) → verlassen; (= abandon) person, cause, party → im Stich lassen; by the time the police arrived the place was deserted → als die Polizei eintraf, war niemand mehr da; in winter the place is deserted → im Winter ist der Ort verlassen; to desert the army → von der Armee desertieren

vi (Mil, fig) → desertieren, Fahnenflucht begehen; to desert from the army → von der Armee desertieren; to desert to the rebels → zu den Rebellen überlaufen

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desert¹ [ˈdɛzət]

1. n → deserto

2. adj (climate, region) → desertico/a

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desert² [dɪˈzɜːt]

1. vt → abbandonare, lasciare
his courage deserted him → il coraggio l'ha abbandonato

2. vi (Mil) to desert (from) → disertare (da)
to desert (to) → passare (a)

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desert¹

v desert [diˈzəːt]

1 to go away from and leave without help etc; to leave or abandon Why did you desert us? verlaat يَهْجُر، يَتْرُك изоставям opustit forlade; svigte; lade i stikken verlassen εγκαταλείπω abandonar maha jätma ترک کردن؛ رها کردن hylätä abandonner לִנטוֹש वीरान हो जाना napustiti elhagy meninggalkan yfirgefa, fara frá abbandonare 見捨てる 유기하다 palikti, apleisti atstāt; pamest abai in de steek laten forlate, løpe fra, svikte opuszczać abandonar a părăsi покидать opustiť zapustiti napustiti överge ทอดทิ้ง terk etmek 遺棄；背離 покидати, залишати بے سہارا چھوڑ جانا bỏ đi 遗弃；背离

2 to run away, usually from the army He was shot for trying to desert. wegdros يَهْرُب (من الجَيْش) бягам zběhnout flygte; desertere fahnenflüchtig werden λιποτακτώ desertar deserteerima فرار کردن karata déserter לַעֲרוֹק छोड़ देना dezertirati megszökik, dezertál melarikan diri gerast liðhlaupi disertare 脱走する 탈주하다 dezertyruoti dezertēt tinggalkan tanpa izin deserteren desertere, rømme dezerterować desertar a dezerta дезертировать zbehnúť dezertirati dezertirati desertera หนีทหาร firar etmek 開小差 дезертирувати فراری ہونا ، عموما فوج سے đào ngũ 开小差

adj deˈserted

1 with no people etc The streets are completely deserted. verlate مَهْجور безлюден pustý øde; forladt ausgestorben έρημος desierto tühi متروکه؛ خالی از سکنه autio désert נטוש वीरान napušten lakatlan kosong yfirgefinn deserto 人けのない 인기척이 없는 tuščias, negyvenamas tukšs; pamests tiada orang verlaten forlatt, øde, folketom opuszczony deserto pustiu безлюдный pustý zapuščen pust öde ซึ่งรกร้าง terk edilmiş, boş 無人(居住)的 безлюдний; спустілий اجاڑ hoang vắng 无人（居住）的

2 abandoned his deserted wife and children. verlate مَهجور، مَتْروك изоставен opuštěný forlade verlassen εγκαταλελειμένος abandonado mahajäetud رها شده؛ بی سرپرست گذاشته شده hylätty abandonné נָטוּש परित्यक्त ostavljen elhagyott ditinggalkan yfirgefa abbandonato 見捨てられた 버려진 pamestas, paliktas pamests buang in de steek gelaten forlate, svikte porzucony abandonado pără­sit покинутый opustený zapuščen napušten övergiven ซึ่งถูกทอดทิ้ง terk edilmiş 拋棄的 покинутий, залишений متروک bị bỏ mặc 抛弃的

n deˈserter

a man who deserts from the army etc. droster, wegloper فارٌّ من الجُنْدِيَّه дезертьор zběh desertør der Fahnenflüchtige λιποτάκτης desertor väejooksik فراری rintamakarkuri déserteur עוֹרֶק भगोड़ा dezerter (katona)szökevény desertir liðhlaupi disertore 脱走兵 탈영병 dezertyras dezertieris orang yang meninggalkan tentera tanpa izin deserteur desertør, overløper dezerter desertor dezertor дезертир zbeh dezerter dezerter desertör คนหนีทหาร kaçak, firari 開小差的士兵，逃兵 дезертир فراری kẻ đảo ngũ 开小差的士兵，逃兵

n deˈsertion [-ʃən]

(an) act of deserting. verlaat, wegloop هَجْر، تَرْك дезертиране zběhnutí desertering; flugt das Verlassen εγκατάλειψη, λιποταξία deserción mahajätmine, deserteerimine ترک؛ رهاسازی؛ فرار rintamakarkuruus désertion נְטִישָׁה, עָרִיקָה त्याग napuštanje, ostavljanje szökés, dezertálás desersi liðhlaup diserzione 見捨てること 탈주, 도망 pametimas, dezertyravimas pamešana; dezertēšana pengabaian desertie frafall, svikt; desertering, faneflukt opuszczenie, dezercja deserção dezertare дезертирство dezercia pobeg napuštanje desertering, övergivande การทอดทิ้ง; การหนีทหาร terk etme, bırakıp gitme 拋棄 дезертирство فرار ہونے کا عمل sự bỏ mặc; sự đào ngũ 抛弃

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desert²

n desert [ˈdezət]

an area of barren country, usually hot, dry and sandy, where there is very little rain Parts of the country are like a desert; (also adjective ) desert plants. woestyn صَحْراء пустиня poušť; pouštní ørken; ørken- die Wüste έρημος desierto kõrb بیابان؛ کویر aavikko désert; désertique מִדבָּר रेगिस्तान pustinja sivatag gurun eyðimörk deserto; desertico 砂漠 사막 dykuma tuksnesis; tuksneša- padang pasir woestijn ørken pustynia deserto deşert; deşer­tic пустыня púšť; púšťový puščava pustinja öken ทะเลทราย çöl 沙漠 пустеля صحرا sa mạc 沙漠

the Sahara desert (not dessert ).

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desert → صحراء poušť ørken Wüste έρημος desierto autiomaa désert pustinja deserto 砂漠 사막 woestijn ørken pustynia deserto пустыня öken ทะเลทราย çöl sa mạc 沙漠