desert

desert · noun, adjective¹

1. Latin · derived fromdēsertum
2. Old French · derived fromdesert
3. Middle English · inherited fromdesert“wilderness”
4. English todaydesert

From Middle English desert (“wilderness”), from Old French desert, from Latin dēsertum, past participle of dēserō (“to abandon”). Generally displaced native Old English wēsten. False cognate of Egyptian dšrt.

desert · verb²

1. Latin · derived fromdēsertus
2. Late Latin · derived fromdēsertō
3. French · borrowed fromdéserter
4. English todaydesert

Borrowed from French déserter, from Late Latin dēsertō, from Latin dēsertus, from dēserō (“abandon”).

desert · noun³

1. Vulgar Latin · derived fromdēserviō“to gain or merit by giving service”
2. Old French · derived fromdeserte
3. Middle English · inherited fromdesert
4. English todaydesert

From Middle English desert, deseert, from Old French deserte, from deservir (“to deserve”), from Vulgar Latin dēserviō (“to gain or merit by giving service”).

Words from the same roots