Other forms: deserted; deserts; deserting
A desert is a very dry area of land where few plants and animals can live. If you find yourself stranded in the middle of the desert, you'll have no company except for the occasional lizard or scorpion.
Desert comes from the Latin desertus, for abandoned or lying in waste. This can refer to a vast sandy area without vegetation, or any empty, lifeless expanse. As a verb, it means to leave someone or something. A soldier who runs away from the army is called a deserter. Occasionally you'll hear someone say, "He got his just deserts," which doesn't have anything to do with abandonment; it means he got what he deserved.
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leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch
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leave behind
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desert (a cause, a country or an army), often in order to join the opposing cause, country, or army
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arid land with little or no vegetationexamples:Great Arabian Deserta desert on the Arabian Peninsula in southwestern AsiaArabian Deserta desert in Egypt between the Nile River and the Red SeaAtacama Deserta desert in northern Chile rich in nitrate and copper depositsGreat Australian Desertgeneral name given to all desert areas in AustraliaBlack Rock Deserta desert in northwestern NevadaChihuahuan Deserta desert in western Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and northern MexicoColorado Desertan arid region of southeastern CaliforniaGreat Salt Deserta salt desert in north central IranDasht-e-Luta desert in eastern IranDeath Valleya desert area that is part of the Mojave Desert in eastern California and southwestern Nevada; contains the lowest point in North AmericaGibson Deserta desert area in western AustraliaGila Deserta desert area in southern ArizonaGobi Deserta desert in central ChinaGreat Sandy Deserta desert region in northwestern Australia to the north of the Gibson DesertGreat Victoria Deserta desert region in south central Australia to the north of the Nullarbor PlainKalahari Deserta desert in southwestern Africa - largely BotswanaTurkestan Deserta desert in Turkmenistan to the south of the Aral SeaKizil Kuma desert in Uzbekistan to the southeast of the Aral SeaLibyan Desertthe northeastern part of the Sahara Desert in Libya and Egypt and SudanMohave Deserta desert area in southern California and western ArizonaNamib Deserta desert in Namibia extending along the coast between the high plateau and the Atlantic OceanAn Nafuda desert in northern Saudi Arabia that is noted for its red sand and violent windsNegev Deserta desert in southern IsraelNubian Desertan arid sandstone plateau in northeastern Sudan between the Nile and the Red SeaPainted Deserta desert on a high plateau in northeastern ArizonaPatagonian Deserta semiarid region in southern South AmericaGreat Sandy Deserta desert in southern Saudi ArabiaSahara Desertthe world's largest desert (3,500,000 square miles) in northern AfricaSimpson Deserta desert region of central AustraliaSinai Deserta desert on the Sinai Peninsula in northeastern EgyptSonoran Deserta desert spanning the southwestern United States and northwestern MexicoSyrian Deserta desert of northern Arabia occupying western Iraq, southern Syria, eastern Jordan, and northern Saudi ArabiaTaklamakan Deserta desert in western ChinaGreat Indian Deserta desert to the east of the Indus River in northwestern India and southeastern Pakistantype of:biomea major biotic community characterized by the dominant forms of plant life and the prevailing climate
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desert / dessert
Vocabulary lists containing desert
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