desert

/ˈdezət/DEH-zurt

/ˈdɛzɚt/DEH-zurt

Meaningto unjoin; to abandon

Common meaning: to leave and not come back

Other meanings: to forsake

dedown, away, off; undoing
sertto join, linkLewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), p. 1680 · scan

‘down, away, off’ + ‘to join, link’ → desert

Journey through time

Latinserō, seruī, sertum‘to join, link’
Middle Englishdesertsource
Englishdesert‘to leave and not come back’ · today

Sources & notes

Meaning: “Meaning” is the sense that emerges from the word’s roots; “Common meaning” is today’s everyday sense. Both written by us.

Pronunciation

UK IPA: converted from the US form by rule (unchecked). Respelling: generated.
No UK recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-GB voice.
US IPA: CMUdict (BSD-2), converted to IPA by rule. Respelling: generated.
No US recording; the speaker uses your device’s en-US voice.

Origin: Built on Latin serō ‘to join, link’.

Did you know: our wording, based on Lewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), entry serō, p. 1680 · dictionary scan; Skeat, Etymological Dictionary (1898), entry DESERT, p. 162 · dictionary scan

Roots

serō, seruī, sertum Latin “to join, link”

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