Where does “desolate” come from?
Desolate comes from Middle English desolate, from Latin desolatus, the past participle of desolāre meaning to abandon, derived from de- and swé, meaning self.
desolate (English): Deserted and devoid of inhabitants; Barren and...
Definitions
- Deserted and devoid of inhabitants; Barren and...
Ancestry of “desolate”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | desolate | — |
| 2 | Latin | desolatus | forsaken, abandoned, deserted, left alone, having... |
| 3 | Latin | dēsōlō | to leave alone, make lonely, lay waste, desolate |
| 4 | Latin | dē- | of; from |
| 5 | Latin | dē | of; concerning; about |
| 6 | Latin | post | behind; after, since, besides, except; behind,... |
| 7 | Latin | poste | ablative singular of postis |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | posti | behind, after |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | pósti | after |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pós | afterwards, post; by, at |