Desert | Webster's Dictionary (1865)

De-sért', v. t.

verbtransitive

(14), v. t. [imp. & p. p. DESERTED; p. pr. & vb. n. DESERTING.] [Lat. deserere, desertum, from de and serere, to join or bind together; Fr. déserter, Sp. desertar, It. desertare, disertare, Pr. deserter, to desert, leave; Pr. desertar, It. desertare, disertare, O. Fr. deserter, to lay waste, ruin.]

Sense 1. To part from; to end a connection with; to abandon; to forsake; — usually in an opprobrious sense; as, to desert a friend; to desert our country; to desert a cause. “The deserted fortress.” Prescott.

Sense 2. (Mil.) To leave without permission; to forsake in violation of duty; as, to desert the army; to desert one’s colors.

De-sért', v. i.

verbintransitive

To quit a service without permission; to run away; as, to desert from the army.

Synonyms—To abandon; forsake; leave; relinquish; quit; depart from; abdicate. See ABANDON.

Dĕs'ert, a.

adjective

a. [Lat. desertus, p. p. of deserere; Fr. désert, Pr. desert, It. & Pg. deserto, Sp. desierto. See DESERT, v. t.] Forsaken; without life or cultivation; untilled; unproductive; waste; barren; wild; desolate; — used especially in speaking of a region of country.

Full many a flower is born to blush unseen, And waste its sweetness on the desert air. Gray.

Dĕs'ert, n.

noun

n. [Lat. desertum, from desertus; Fr. désert, Pr. désert, It. & Pg. deserto, Sp. desierto. See supra.] A deserted or forsaken tract of land; an uninhabited and unproductive region; a wilderness; a solitude; a region destitute of moisture and vegetation; as, the Desert of Sahara.

Hadst thou sprung In deserts where no men abide, Thou must have uncommended died. Waller.

De-sērt', n.

noun

n. [O. Fr. deserte, desserte, merit, recompense, from deservir, desservir, to merit. See DE-SERVE.] That which is deserved; the reward or punishment to which one is entitled; claim to recompense, usually in a good sense; right to reward; merit.

Yet, more to move you, Take my deserts to his, and join them both. Shak.

His reputation falls far below his desert. Hamilton.

Synonyms— Merit; worth; excellence; due.