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deserted

 - 4 dictionary results

de⋅sert⋅ed

  [di-zur-tid]
Use deserted in a Sentence
–adjective
1. abandoned; forsaken: the problems of deserted wives and children.
2. untenanted: without inhabitants: a deserted village; a deserted farmhouse.
3. unfrequented; lonely: The victim was lured to a deserted spot.
Origin:
1620–30; desert 2 + -ed 2

de⋅sert

2  [di-zurt]
–verb (used with object)
1. to leave (a person, place, etc.) without intending to return, esp. in violation of a duty, promise, or the like: He deserted his wife.
2. (of military personnel) to leave or run away from (service, duty, etc.) with the intention of never returning.
3. to fail (someone) at a time of need: None of his friends had deserted him.
–verb (used without object)
4. to forsake or leave one's duty, obligations, etc. (sometimes fol. by from, to, etc.): Many deserted during the food shortage.
5. (of military personnel) to leave service, duty, etc., with no intention of returning: Troops were deserting to the enemy.
Origin:
1470–80; < MF déserter < LL dēsertāre, freq. of L dēserere; see desert 1

Related forms:
de⋅sert⋅ed⋅ly, adverb
de⋅sert⋅ed⋅ness, noun
de⋅sert⋅er, noun

Synonyms:
1. Desert, abandon, forsake mean to leave behind persons, places, or things. Desert implies intentionally violating an oath, formal obligation, or duty: to desert campaign pledges. Abandon suggests giving up wholly and finally, whether of necessity, unwillingly, or through shirking responsibilities: to abandon a hopeless task; abandon a child. Forsake has emotional connotations, since it implies violating obligations of affection or association: to forsake a noble cause.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To deserted
de·sert 3   (dĭ-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.

[French déserter, from Late Latin dēsertāre, frequentative of Latin dēserere, to abandon : dē-, de- + serere, to join; see ser-2 in Indo-European roots.]
de·sert'er n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

desert  (v.)
"to leave," c.1380, from O.Fr. deserter "leave," lit. "undo or sever connection," from L.L. desertare, freq. of L. deserere "to abandon," from de- "undo" + serere "join" (see series). Military sense is first recorded 1647.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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