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desertification

 [dih-zur-tuh-fi-key-shuhn]   Example Sentences Origin

de·sert·i·fi·ca·tion

   [dih-zur-tuh-fi-key-shuhn]
noun Ecology.
1.
the processes by which an area becomes a desert.
2.
the rapid depletion of plant life and the loss of topsoil at desert boundaries and in semiarid regions, usually caused by a combination of drought and the overexploitation of grasses and other vegetation by people.
Also, des·ert·i·za·tion  [dez-er-tuh-zey-shuhn] .
Compare aridification.

Origin:
1970–75; desert1 + -i- + -fication
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To desertification

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Desertification has a plethora of syllables.
So is floccinaucinihilipilification. Does it mean:
the estimation of something as valueless (encountered mainly as an example of one of the longest words in the English language).
a white, crystalline, water-insoluble solid, C14H9Cl5, usually derived from chloral by reaction with chlorobenzene in the presence of fuming sulfuric acid: used as an insecticide and as a scabicide and pediculicide: agricultural use prohibited in the U.S.
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Example Sentences
  • The central government must allocate greater funds to preventing desertification and ensure they are effectively used.
  • Rising levels of salinity and desertification in some areas is ravaging the landscape.
  • Few put eyes on crying trees, warming climate, and desertification of land.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
desertification (dɪˌzɜːtɪfɪˈkeɪʃən)
 
—n
a process by which fertile land turns into barren land or desert

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

desertification
1973, from desert (n.1) + -fication. In Fr., désertisation is attested from 1968.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
desertification   (dĭ-zûr'tə-fĭ-kā'shən)  Pronunciation Key 
The transformation of land once suitable for agriculture into desert. Desertification can result from climate change or from human practices such as deforestation and overgrazing.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Related Words
aridification
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