Wordwyrt

desolate

/ˈdesələt/DEH-suh-luht
/ˈdɛsələt/DEH-suh-luht

Meaningleft alone

Common meaning: empty and bleak

‘down, away, off’ + ‘alone, only’ → desolate

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 sōlus ‘alone, only’.

Did you know: our wording, based on Lewis & Short, Latin Dictionary (1879), entry sōlus, p. 1724 · dictionary scan

Roots

  • sōlus Latin “alone, only”

Related words

solesolitarysolitudesolo

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