Where does “desert” come from?
desert (Middle English) comes from Old French desert, from Latin dēsertum, from Latin dēsertus, from Latin dēserō, from Latin dē-, from Latin dē, from Latin post, from Latin poste — afterwards, post; by, at.
desert (Middle English): The situation of deserving something; That which...
Definitions
- The situation of deserving something; That which...
Ancestry of “desert”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | desert | desert (desolate terrain) |
| 2 | Latin | dēsertum | a desert, wasteland |
| 3 | Latin | dēsertus | deserted, abandoned, forsaken; having been deserted, etc |
| 4 | Latin | dēserō | to leave, depart, desert, quit |
| 5 | Latin | dē- | of; from |
| 6 | Latin | dē | of; concerning; about |
| 7 | Latin | post | behind; after, since, besides, except; behind,... |
| 8 | Latin | poste | ablative singular of postis |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | posti | behind, after |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | pósti | after |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | pós | afterwards, post; by, at |