Nearby Words
noun
1.
a region so arid because of little rainfall that it supports only sparse and widely spaced vegetation or no vegetation at all: The Sahara is a vast sandy desert. Synonyms: waste, wasteland, barren wilderness.
2.
any area in which few forms of life can exist because of lack of water, permanent frost, or absence of soil. Synonyms: wasteland, barren wilderness.
3.
an area of the ocean in which it is believed no marine life exists.
4.
(formerly) any unsettled area between the Mississippi and the Rocky Mountains thought to be unsuitable for human habitation.
5.
any place lacking in something: The town was a cultural desert. Synonyms: wasteland.
adjective
6.
of, pertaining to, or like a desert. Synonyms: desolate; barren, infertile; arid.
7.
occurring, living, or flourishing in the desert: a desert tribe; a desert palm.
8.
designed or suitable for wear in the desert, as cool, protective clothing: a big, wide-brimmed desert hat.
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Desertic
is always a great word to know.
So is doohickey. Does it mean:
| a gadget; dingus; thingumbob. |
| a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal. |
Origin:
1175–1225; Middle English < Anglo-French < Late Latin dēsertum (neuter), noun use of past participle of Latin dēserere to abandon, forsake, equivalent to dē- de- + serere to join together (in a line); compare series
1175–1225; Middle English < Anglo-French < Late Latin dēsertum (neuter), noun use of past participle of Latin dēserere to abandon, forsake, equivalent to dē- de- + serere to join together (in a line); compare series
Related forms
des·ert·like, adjective
Synonyms
1, 2. Desert, waste, wilderness refer to areas that are largely uninhabited. Desert emphasizes lack of water (though not specifically high temperature); it refers to a dry, barren, treeless region, usually sandy: a high-altitude frozen desert. Waste emphasizes lack of inhabitants and of cultivation; it is used of wild, barren land: a desolate waste. Wilderness emphasizes the difficulty of finding one's way, whether because of barrenness or of dense vegetation: a trackless wilderness.
1, 2. Desert, waste, wilderness refer to areas that are largely uninhabited. Desert emphasizes lack of water (though not specifically high temperature); it refers to a dry, barren, treeless region, usually sandy: a high-altitude frozen desert. Waste emphasizes lack of inhabitants and of cultivation; it is used of wild, barren land: a desolate waste. Wilderness emphasizes the difficulty of finding one's way, whether because of barrenness or of dense vegetation: a trackless wilderness.
Popular References
—Desert : A novel by Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2008. The book, first published in French in 1980, was translated into English in 2009.
—Operation Desert Storm: An air campaign by the U.S. during the 1990–91 Gulf War.
—Conflict: Desert Storm: The first in the Conflict series of video games by game developers Pivotal Games. Released in 2002, it is set during the 1990–91 Gulf War.
—Desert : A novel by Jean-Marie Gustave Le Clézio, winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2008. The book, first published in French in 1980, was translated into English in 2009.
—Operation Desert Storm: An air campaign by the U.S. during the 1990–91 Gulf War.
—Conflict: Desert Storm: The first in the Conflict series of video games by game developers Pivotal Games. Released in 2002, it is set during the 1990–91 Gulf War.
Citations
“Bedouin women tending flocks of goats are the brightest touch of color in the treeless, waterless, and harsh Negev desert.”
—Ruth Craig, Fodor’s Israel, 6th Edition (2006)
—Ruth Craig, Fodor’s Israel, 6th Edition (2006)
“During this period [Christian Europe] was an intellectual desert, where the mind was uncultivated and permitted to run to waste.”
—W. Tannehill, “Essay on the Literature of the Moors of Spain,” The Hesperian, Volume 2 (1838)
—W. Tannehill, “Essay on the Literature of the Moors of Spain,” The Hesperian, Volume 2 (1838)
“In some places mudflats stretch along the ground, tortured and cracked by the dry desert air.”
—Fred Punzo, Desert Arthropods: Life History Variations (2000)
—Fred Punzo, Desert Arthropods: Life History Variations (2000)
“A long line of more than a score of camels was something in itself, not to mention the riders in their desert costume.”
—Alexander Wallace, The Desert and the Holy Land (1868)
—Alexander Wallace, The Desert and the Holy Land (1868)
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
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