释义 |
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2024des•ert1 /ˈdɛzɚt/USA pronunciation n. [countable]- Ecologya hot, dry, sandy region with little or no rain or water:Some animals can survive in the desert on very little water.
- any place lacking in something desirable:The town was a cultural desert.
adj. [ before a noun] - of, relating to, or like a desert:desert wilderness.
- occurring or living in the desert:a desert palm.
- designed or suitable for use in the desert.
de•sert2 /dɪˈzɜrt/USA pronunciation v. - [ ~ + obj] to leave (a person, etc.) without intending to return, esp. when done against the law or in breaking a promise:He deserted his wife and children.
- Military(of military personnel) to run away from (service, etc.) with the intention of never returning: [ ~ + obj]:He deserted his platoon and went over to the enemy.[no obj]:He deserted in the midst of battle.
- [ ~ + obj] to fail (someone) at a time of need:None of his friends had deserted him.
de•sert•er, n. [countable]de•sert3 /dɪˈzɜrt/USA pronunciation n. [countable]- Often, deserts. [plural] reward or punishment that is deserved:He got his just deserts when they discovered he'd lied to everyone.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2024des•ert1 (dez′ərt),USA pronunciation n. - Ecologya region so arid because of little rainfall that it supports only sparse and widely spaced vegetation or no vegetation at all:The Sahara is a vast sandy desert.
- Ecologyany area in which few forms of life can exist because of lack of water, permanent frost, or absence of soil.
- Ecologyan area of the ocean in which it is believed no marine life exists.
- (formerly) any unsettled area between the Mississippi and the Rocky Mountains thought to be unsuitable for human habitation.
- any place lacking in something:The town was a cultural desert.
adj. - of, pertaining to, or like a desert; desolate;
barren. - occurring, living, or flourishing in the desert:a desert tribe; a desert palm.
- designed or suitable for wear in the desert, as cool, protective clothing:a big, wide-brimmed desert hat.
- Late Latin dēsertum (neuter), noun, nominal use of past participle of Latin dēserere to abandon, forsake, equivalent. to dē- de- + serere to join together (in a line); compare series
- Anglo-French
- Middle English 1175–1225
de•ser•tic (di zûr′tik),USA pronunciation adj. des′ert•like′, adj. - 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged Desert, waste, wilderness refer to areas that are largely uninhabited. Desert emphasizes lack of water; it refers to a dry, barren, treeless region, usually sandy:an oasis in a desert.Waste emphasizes lack of inhabitants and of cultivation; it is used of wild, barren land:a desolate waste.Wilderness emphasizes the difficulty of finding one's way, whether because of barrenness or of dense vegetation:a trackless wilderness.
de•sert2 (di zûrt′),USA pronunciation v.t. - to leave (a person, place, etc.) without intending to return, esp. in violation of a duty, promise, or the like:He deserted his wife.
- Military(of military personnel) to leave or run away from (service, duty, etc.) with the intention of never returning.
- to fail (someone) at a time of need:None of his friends had deserted him.
v.i. - to forsake or leave one's duty, obligations, etc. (sometimes fol. by from, to, etc.):Many deserted during the food shortage.
- Military(of military personnel) to leave service, duty, etc., with no intention of returning:Troops were deserting to the enemy.
- Late Latin dēsertāre, frequentative of Latin dēserere; see desert1
- Middle French déserter
- 1470–80
de•sert′ed•ly, adv. de•sert′ed•ness, n. de•sert′er, n. - 1.See corresponding entry in Unabridged Desert, abandon, forsake mean to leave behind persons, places, or things. Desert implies intentionally violating an oath, formal obligation, or duty:to desert campaign pledges.Abandon suggests giving up wholly and finally, whether of necessity, unwillingly, or through shirking responsibilities:to abandon a hopeless task; abandon a child.Forsake has emotional connotations, since it implies violating obligations of affection or association:to forsake a noble cause.
de•sert3 (di zûrt′),USA pronunciation n. - Often, deserts. reward or punishment that is deserved:to get one's just deserts.
- the state or fact of deserving reward or punishment.
- the fact of deserving well;
merit; virtue.
- Old French deserte, noun, nominal use of feminine past participle of deservir to deserve
- Middle English 1275–1325
- 3.See corresponding entry in Unabridged See merit.
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