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desolation

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: désolation

English

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Old French desolacion f, from Latin dēsōlātiō f.

Pronunciation

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  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˌdɛsəˈleɪʃən/
  • Audio (US):(file)
  • Rhymes: -eɪʃən

Noun

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desolation (countable and uncountable, plural desolations)

  1. The act of desolating or laying waste; destruction of inhabitants; depopulation.
  2. The state of being desolated or laid waste
    Synonyms: ruin, solitariness, destitution, gloom, gloominess
    • 1611, The Holy Bible, [] (King James Version), London: [] Robert Barker, [], →OCLC, Proverbs 1:26–27:
      I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.
    • 1823, Letitia Elizabeth Landon, Forget Me Not 1824, The Indian Orphan, page 68:
      One or two uncovered masses appeared like the lingering foot-prints of desolation; but in general where the statelier trees had not taken root, the soil was luxuriantly covered with heath and the golden blossomed furze.
  3. A place or country wasted and forsaken.

Translations

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Middle French

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Etymology

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Derived from Old French desolacion f, from Latin dēsōlātiō f or learned borrowing directly from the Latin term.

Noun

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desolation f (plural desolations)

  1. desolation; destruction; annihilation.

Descendants

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  • French: désolation f