Des"o*late (?), a. [L. desolatus, p. p. of desolare to leave alone, forsake; de- + solare to make lonely, solus alone. See Sole, a.]
1. Destitute or deprived of inhabitants; deserted; uninhabited; hence, gloomy; as, a desolate isle; a desolate wilderness; a desolate house.
I will make Jerusalem . . . a den of dragons, and I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant.
Jer. ix. 11.
And the silvery marish flowers that throng
The desolate creeks and pools among.
Tennyson.
2. Laid waste; in a ruinous condition; neglected; destroyed; as, desolate altars.
3. Left alone; forsaken; lonely; comfortless.
Have mercy upon, for I am desolate.
Ps. xxv. 16.
Voice of the poor and desolate.
Keble.
4. Lost to shame; dissolute. [Obs.]
Chaucer.
5. Destitute of; lacking in. [Obs.]
I were right now of tales desolate.
Chaucer.
Syn. -- Desert; uninhabited; lonely; waste.
© Webster 1913.
Des"o*late (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Desolated; p. pr. & vb. n. Desolating.]
1. To make desolate; to leave alone; to deprive of inhabitants; as, the earth was nearly desolated by the flood.
2. To lay waste; to ruin; to ravage; as, a fire desolates a city.
Constructed in the very heart of a desolating war.
Sparks.
© Webster 1913. | 
