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desolation. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
desolation, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
desolation in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
desolation you have here. The definition of the word
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English
Etymology
Borrowed from Old French desolacion f, from Latin dēsōlātiō f.
Pronunciation
Noun
desolation (countable and uncountable, plural desolations)
- The act of desolating or laying waste; destruction of inhabitants; depopulation.
- The state of being desolated or laid waste
- Synonyms: ruin, solitariness, destitution, gloom, gloominess
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.
- A place or country wasted and forsaken.
Translations
act of desolating or laying waste
state of being desolated or laid waste
place or country wasted and forsaken
Middle French
Etymology
Derived from Old French desolacion f, from Latin dēsōlātiō f or learned borrowing directly from the Latin term.
Noun
desolation f (plural desolations)
- desolation; destruction; annihilation.
Descendants