Desolation
/ˌdɛs.əˈleɪ.ʃən/noun
A state of complete emptiness, ruin, or loneliness.
Did you know?Desolation ultimately comes from Latin words meaning “to leave deserted,” and its emotional force grew from the image of land abandoned and emptied out.
Etymological Timeline
Latin
Latin
dēsolātiō
“an abandoning, leaving desolate”
Late Latin
Latin
dēsolāre
“to leave alone, make desolate”
Old French
Old French
desolation
“ruin, devastation, loneliness”
14th Century
English
desolacioun
“ruin, devastation, abandonment”
Modern English
English
desolation
“a state of complete emptiness, ruin, or loneliness”