n.
Pronunciation: ' de-z ə rt
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin desertum, from Latin, neuter of desertus, past participle of deserere to desert, from de- + serere to join together ― more at SERIES
Date: 13th century
1 a : arid land with usually sparse vegetation especially : such land having a very warm climate and receiving less than 25 centimeters (10 inches) of sporadic rainfall annually b : an area of water apparently devoid of life
2 archaic : a wild uninhabited and uncultivated tract
3 : a desolate or forbidding area <lost in a desert of doubt>
– de · ser · tic \ de- ' z ə r-tik \ adjective
– des · ert · like \ - ˌ l ī k \ adjective