- desolate
- \ \ see SOLE
Word origins - 2ed. J. Ayto. 2005.
desolate
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Desolate — Des o*late, a. [L. desolatus, p. p. of desolare to leave alone, forsake; de + solare to make lonely, solus alone. See {Sole}, a.] 1. Destitute or deprived of inhabitants; deserted; uninhabited; hence, gloomy; as, a desolate isle; a desolate… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
desolate — [adj1] unused, barren abandoned, bare, bleak, derelict, desert, destroyed, dreary, empty, forsaken, godforsaken*, isolated, lonely, lonesome, lorn, ruined, solitary, unfrequented, uninhabited, unoccupied, vacant, waste, wild; concepts 485,560 Ant … New thesaurus
Desolate — Des o*late, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Desolated}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Desolating}.] 1. To make desolate; to leave alone; to deprive of inhabitants; as, the earth was nearly desolated by the flood. [1913 Webster] 2. To lay waste; to ruin; to ravage; as, a … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
desolate — ► ADJECTIVE 1) giving an impression of bleak and dismal emptiness. 2) utterly wretched and unhappy. ► VERB ▪ make desolate. DERIVATIVES desolation noun. ORIGIN from Latin desolare abandon , from solus alone … English terms dictionary
desolate — [des′ə lit; ] for v. [, des′əlāt΄] adj. [ME desolat < L desolatus, pp. of desolare, to leave alone, forsake, strip of inhabitants < de , intens. + solare, to make lonely < solus, SOLE2] 1. left alone; lonely; solitary 2. uninhabited;… … English World dictionary
desolate — index barren, bleak (exposed and barren), derelict (abandoned), despoil, despondent, destroy (efface) … Law dictionary
desolate — (adj.) mid 14c., without companions, also uninhabited, from L. desolatus, pp. of desolare leave alone, desert, from de completely (see DE (Cf. de )) + solare make lonely, from solus alone (see SOLE (Cf … Etymology dictionary
desolate — 1 forlorn, lorn, lonesome, lone, solitary, lonely, *a!one Analogous words: deserted, forsaken, abandoned (see ABANDON): *miserable, wretched Contrasted words: cheerful, lighthearted, joyful, joyous, happy, *glad 2 *dismal, dreary, cheerless,… … New Dictionary of Synonyms
desolate — adj. 1 empty and depressing VERBS ▪ be, seem, stand ▪ The house stands desolate and empty. ▪ become ▪ leave sth … Collocations dictionary
desolate — desolately, adv. desolateness, n. desolater, desolator, n. adj. /des euh lit/; v. /des euh layt /, adj., v., desolated, desolating. adj. 1. barren or laid waste; devastated: a treeless, desolate landscape … Universalium
desolate — I. adjective Etymology: Middle English desolat, from Latin desolatus, past participle of desolare to abandon, from de + solus alone Date: 14th century 1. devoid of inhabitants and visitors ; deserted 2. joyless, disconsolate, and sorrowful… … New Collegiate Dictionary
