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desolate

Pronunciation: /ˈdɛs.ə.lət/

The English word “desolate” has 9 meanings listed here.

adjective

  1. Deserted and devoid of inhabitants.
  2. Barren and lifeless.
  3. Made unfit for habitation or use because of neglect, destruction etc.
  4. Dismal or dreary.
  5. Sad, forlorn and hopeless.

verb

  1. To deprive of inhabitants.
  2. To devastate or lay waste somewhere.
  3. To abandon or forsake something.
  4. To make someone sad, forlorn and hopeless.

Etymology

From Middle English desolat(e). See Etymology 2 and -ate (adjective-forming suffix) for more.

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Definitions are from Wiktionary, extracted by Kaikki.org, and are available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.