desert

CEFRA1

/ˈdɛz.ət/

noun · verb

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A dry area of land with very little rain or vegetation.

  2. 02

    verb

    To leave someone or something and not return.

Examples

  • Now there is nothing but desert, where there used to be a fertile plain.

  • One third of the earth's surface is desert.

At a glance

Sits at A1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. Any barren place or situation.

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

  3. In particular, a barren, arid area of land which is hot, with sandy, rocky, or parched ground.

More examples

In context

  • The remote desert area is accessible only by helicopter.

  • They were marooned on a desert island in the Pacific.

  • You can't just drive off and desert me here, in the middle of nowhere.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The weary soldier decided to blank his post despite the strict orders.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

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.