Desertification
/dɪˌzɜːrtɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/noun
The process by which fertile or productive land becomes increasingly desert-like, often through climate variation and human activity.
Did you know?The word ultimately connects to Latin deserere, “to abandon” or “leave behind,” so a desert was originally defined by abandonment—not by sand.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ser-
“To arrange, bind, or put in a row; the deeper root associated with Latin forms built around serere.”
Classical Latin
Latin
dēserere
“To leave, abandon, or forsake; literally formed with dē-, “away,” plus serere.”
Late Latin
Latin
dēsertum
“An abandoned or deserted place; the source of the noun meaning “desert.””
13th Century
Old French
desert
“A wilderness or uninhabited region, inherited from Latin dēsertum.”
14th Century
English
desert
“A barren or uninhabited region; also, separately, a place abandoned by people.”
20th Century
English
desertification
“The process of turning productive land into desert-like terrain, formed from desert plus -ification.”