desolation
nounUK /ˌdɛsəˈleɪʃən/
Etymology Inherited from Middle English desolacioun, from Middle French, Old French desolacion f, from Latin dēsōlātiō f.
1
The act of desolating or laying waste; destruction of inhabitants; depopulation.
2
The state of being desolated or laid waste
- I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Proverbs 1:26–27:
- One or two uncovered masses appeared like the lingering foot-prints of desolation; but in general where the statelier trees had not taken root, the soil was luxuriantly covered with heath and the golden blossomed furze.1823, Letitia Elizabeth Landon, Forget Me Not 1824, The Indian Orphan, page 68:
3
A place or country wasted and forsaken.