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desolate

des·o·late [ déssələt ]

adjective

Definition:

1. empty: bare, uninhabited, and deserted

2. alone: solitary, joyless, and without hope

3. grim: dismal and gloomy

transitive verb (past and past participle des·o·lat·ed, present participle des·o·lat·ing, 3rd person present singular des·o·lates)

Definition:

1. devastate place: to make a place barren or deserted

2. make somebody wretched: to make somebody feel sad and lonely

[14th century. < Latin desolatus, past participle of desolare "leave alone" < solus "alone"]

des·o·lat·ed adjective

des·o·late·ly adverb

des·o·late·ness noun

des·o·la·ter noun

des·o·la·tion [ dèssə láysh'n ] noun

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