Desolate Definition
dĕsə-lĭt, dĕz-
desolated, desolates, desolating
adjective
Left alone; lonely; solitary.
Webster's New World
Uninhabited; deserted.
Webster's New World
Feeling, showing, causing, or expressing sadness or loneliness.
American Heritage
Made uninhabitable; laid waste; in a ruinous state.
Webster's New World
Forlorn; wretched.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
verb
desolated, desolates, desolating
To make desolate; rid of inhabitants.
Webster's New World
To make uninhabitable; lay waste; devastate.
Webster's New World
To forsake; abandon.
Webster's New World
To make forlorn, wretched, etc.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
Origin of Desolate
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Middle English desolat from Latin dēsōlātus past participle of dēsōlāre to abandon dē- de- sōlus alone s(w)e- in Indo-European roots
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
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From Middle English, from Latin desolatus, past participle of desolare (“to leave alone, make lonely, lay waste, desolate”), from solus (“alone”).
From Wiktionary
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