Meanings
present singular third person desertifies · participle present desertifying · participle past desertified · past desertified
- intransitiveTo become desert.
- transitiveTo cause (a geographical region) to become desert.
Part of the genius of Andalusi filahah was its water management, still light years ahead of industrialised modern agriculture, which decimates forests for high-output farms that dry up streams and springs and desertifies fertile terrain.
2020, Medina Tenour Whiteman, The Invisible Muslim: Journeys Through Whiteness and Islam
Origin
Translations
Dutch verwoestijnen
- verwoestijnenbecome desert
Finnish aavikoitua, aavikoittaa
- aavikoituabecome desert
- aavikoittaacause to become desert
French désertifier
- désertifierbecome desert
Hungarian elsivatagosodik, elsivatagosít
- elsivatagosodikbecome desert
- elsivatagosítcause to become desert
Korean 사막화(沙漠化)되다, 사막화(沙漠化)하다
- 사막화(沙漠化)되다 (samakhwadoeda)become desert
- 사막화(沙漠化)하다 (samakhwahada)cause to become desert
Spanish desertificarse, desertificar
- desertificarsebecome desert
- desertificarcause to become desert
Vietnamese hoang mạc hoá
- hoang mạc hoábecome desert
Cite this entry
desertify. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/desertify
“desertify.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/desertify. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “desertify,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/desertify.
Source: desertify on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.