desolation en · NOUN
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
- /ˌdɛsəˈleɪʃən/ (UK)
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English desolacioun, from Middle French, Old French desolacion f, from Latin dēsōlātiō f.
Meanings
- (countable, uncountable) The act of desolating or laying waste; destruction of inhabitants; depopulation.
-
(countable, uncountable) The state of being desolated or laid waste
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.
1823, Letitia Elizabeth Landon, Forget Me Not 1824, The Indian Orphan, page 68: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.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Proverbs 1:26–27:
- (countable, uncountable) A place or country wasted and forsaken.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| desolations | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Synonyms
gloominess · solitariness · gloom · destitution · ruin
Translations (21)
ca desolació (act of desolating or laying waste) · de Verlassenheit (state of being desolated or laid waste) · cmn 撂荒 (act of desolating or laying waste) · de Wüstenei (place or country wasted and forsaken) · ca desolació (state of being desolated or laid waste) · de Verwüstung (state of being desolated or laid waste) · cmn 荒地 (place or country wasted and forsaken) · de Trostlosigkeit (state of being desolated or laid waste) · bg обезлюдяване (act of desolating or laying waste) · bg пустош (place or country wasted and forsaken) · bg изоставеност (state of being desolated or laid waste) · pdt Eed (place or country wasted and forsaken) · de Verwüstung (act of desolating or laying waste) · de Wüste (place or country wasted and forsaken) · ota خراب (state of being desolated or laid waste) · de Wüstung (place or country wasted and forsaken) · la vāstitās (state of being desolated or laid waste) · de Ort des Elends (place or country wasted and forsaken) · pt desolação (state of being desolated or laid waste) · de Verwüstetsein (state of being desolated or laid waste) · de Verwüsten (act of desolating or laying waste)