Desertion
/dɪˈzɜːr.ʃən/noun
The act of abandoning a person, place, or duty, especially by leaving military service without permission.
Did you know?Desertion ultimately comes from Latin *deserere*, meaning “to leave behind” or “abandon,” a root that also gave English *desert* in the sense of being “desolate” and empty.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*ser-
“to join, line up, bind together”
Latin
Latin
deserere
“to leave behind, abandon, forsake”
Late Latin
Latin
desertio
“an abandoning, forsaking”
Old French
Old French
desertion
“abandonment, desertion”
Middle English
English
desertion
“the act of abandoning or forsaking”
Modern English
English
desertion
“the act of abandoning a duty, post, or allegiance”