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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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Deserts
is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
| a fool or simpleton; ninny. |
| a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes. |
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 frozendesert. 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 frozendesert. 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) http://books.google.com/books?id=QyVRjiuUbLkC&lpg=PP1&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false
—Ruth Craig, Fodor’s Israel, 6th Edition (2006) http://books.google.com/books?id=QyVRjiuUbLkC&lpg=PP1&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false
“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) http://books.google.com/books?id=VucXAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA5#v=onepage&q&f=false
—W. Tannehill, “Essay on the Literature of the Moors of Spain,” The Hesperian, Volume 2 (1838) http://books.google.com/books?id=VucXAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA5#v=onepage&q&f=false
“In some places mudflats stretch along the ground, tortured and cracked by the dry desert air.”
—Fred Punzo, Desert Arthropods: Life History Variations (2000) http://books.google.com/books?id=AjOjs7TJXwsC&lpg=PP1&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false
—Fred Punzo, Desert Arthropods: Life History Variations (2000) http://books.google.com/books?id=AjOjs7TJXwsC&lpg=PP1&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false
“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) http://books.google.com/books?id=RFUOAAAAYAAJ&dq=desert%20garb&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q=desert%20garb&f=false
—Alexander Wallace, The Desert and the Holy Land (1868) http://books.google.com/books?id=RFUOAAAAYAAJ&dq=desert%20garb&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q=desert%20garb&f=false
Dictionary.com Unabridged
verb (used with object)
1.
to leave (a person, place, etc.) without intending to return, especially in violation of a duty, promise, or the like: He deserted his wife. Synonyms: abandon, leave, quit; forsake.
2.
(of military personnel) to leave or run away from (service, duty, etc.) with the intention of never returning: Terrified of the approaching battle, he deserted his post just beforedawn.
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 followed by from, to, etc.): Many deserted during the food shortage. Synonyms: abdicate, resign.
5.
(of military personnel) to leave service, duty, etc., with no intention of returning: Troops were deserting to the enemy. Synonyms: go AWOL.
Origin:
1470–80; < Middle French déserter < Late Latin dēsertāre, frequentative of Latin dēserere; see desert1
1470–80; < Middle French déserter < Late Latin dēsertāre, frequentative of Latin dēserere; see desert1
Related forms
de·sert·ed·ly, adverb
de·sert·ed·ness, noun
de·sert·er, noun
pre·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.
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.
Citations
“There used to be two kinds of kisses: First when girls were kissed and deserted; second, when they were engaged. Now there's a third kind, where the man is kissed and deserted.”
—F. Scott Fitzgerald, This Side of Paradise (1920) http://books.google.com/books?id=bB8Bra4NHFsC&pg=PT107#v=onepage&q&f=false
—F. Scott Fitzgerald, This Side of Paradise (1920) http://books.google.com/books?id=bB8Bra4NHFsC&pg=PT107#v=onepage&q&f=false
“Girty had deserted his military post at Port Pitt, and become an outlaw of his own volition.”
—Zane Grey, The Spirit of the Border (1906) http://books.google.com/books?id=itlEAAAAYAAJ&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false
—Zane Grey, The Spirit of the Border (1906) http://books.google.com/books?id=itlEAAAAYAAJ&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false
“I had a strong and comforting faith that I should be able to organize and conduct an Administration which would satisfy and win the country. This faith never deserted me.”
—Rutherford B. Hayes, “Diary (January 23, 1881),” Diary and Letters of Rutherford Birchard Hayes: Nineteenth President of the United States, vol. III, ed. Charles Richard Williams (1922-1926) http://quotes.dictionary.com/Coming_in_I_was_denounced_as_a_fraud
—Rutherford B. Hayes, “Diary (January 23, 1881),” Diary and Letters of Rutherford Birchard Hayes: Nineteenth President of the United States, vol. III, ed. Charles Richard Williams (1922-1926) http://quotes.dictionary.com/Coming_in_I_was_denounced_as_a_fraud
“[A]ll she knew was that her father had deserted from the Soviet army many years before. She believed that to be the reason he was in hiding.”
—Steve Martini, Guardian of Lies (2009) http://books.google.com/books?id=EoyfnaAIDqUC&lpg=PP1&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false
—Steve Martini, Guardian of Lies (2009) http://books.google.com/books?id=EoyfnaAIDqUC&lpg=PP1&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false
noun
1.
Often, deserts. reward or punishment that is deserved: to get one's just deserts. Synonyms: due, payment, recompense, reward; justice, retaliation, retribution, penalty.
2.
the state or fact of deserving reward or punishment.
3.
the fact of deserving well. Synonyms: merit, virtue, worth.
Origin:
1275–1325; Middle English < Old French deserte, noun use of feminine past participle of deservir to deserve
1275–1325; Middle English < Old French deserte, noun use of feminine past participle of deservir to deserve
Synonyms
3. Desert, merit, worth refer to the quality in a person, action, or thing that entitles recognition, especially favorable recognition. Desert is the quality that entitles one to a just reward: according to her deserts. Merit is usually the excellence that entitles to praise: a person of great merit. Worth is always used in a favorable sense and signifies inherent value or goodness: The worth of your contribution is incalculable.
3. Desert, merit, worth refer to the quality in a person, action, or thing that entitles recognition, especially favorable recognition. Desert is the quality that entitles one to a just reward: according to her deserts. Merit is usually the excellence that entitles to praise: a person of great merit. Worth is always used in a favorable sense and signifies inherent value or goodness: The worth of your contribution is incalculable.
Citations
“The words of the Divina Commedia are still the mightiest and most living words in which man has ever painted in detail the true deserts of sin, penitence, and sanctity.”
—Rev. John C. Eccleston, from his lectures on Dante Alighieri, The Churchman, vol. 53 (January 2, 1886) http://books.google.com/books?id=5yjnAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA700#v=onepage&q&f=false
—Rev. John C. Eccleston, from his lectures on Dante Alighieri, The Churchman, vol. 53 (January 2, 1886) http://books.google.com/books?id=5yjnAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA700#v=onepage&q&f=false
“I have no sympathy with those who invested their money in slave property. They not only received their just deserts in having their property confiscated, but they should have been compelled to make restitution to the last penny to the poor slaves whom they had systematically robbed.”
—Timothy Thomas Fortune, Black and White: Land, Labor, and Politics in the South (1884) http://books.google.com/books?id=tk04AAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false
—Timothy Thomas Fortune, Black and White: Land, Labor, and Politics in the South (1884) http://books.google.com/books?id=tk04AAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false
“Some will always mistake the degree of their own desert.”
—Samuel Johnson, The Rambler, No. 193 (January 21, 1752) http://books.google.com/books?id=jUcVAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false
—Samuel Johnson, The Rambler, No. 193 (January 21, 1752) http://books.google.com/books?id=jUcVAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source
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Link To deserts
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
desert
"suitable reward or punishment" (now usually plural and just), c.1300, from O.Fr. deserte, pp. of deservir "be worthy to have," from L. deservire "serve well" (see deserve).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
desert  (děz'ərt) Pronunciation Key
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. Our Living Language : 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. |
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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