desert
desert — noun
1. 降雨量極少、草木稀疏的大片土地，通常覆蓋著沙或岩石
降雨量極少、草木稀疏的大片土地，通常覆蓋著沙或岩石
The Sonoran Desert in Arizona stays hot even after the sun goes down.
proper noun + desert — naming specific deserts
Camels store fat in their humps to survive long journeys across the desert.
collocation: across the desert
Yasmin spent three weeks travelling through the Gobi Desert on a geology trip.
Desert nights can be freezing, so travellers carry heavy sleeping bags.
adjective modifier: desert nights
- across the desert
- in the desert
- the Sahara Desert
- desert landscape
- desert heat
- wasteland
較廣義，可指任何荒蕪之地，不限於沙地
- wilderness
偏指未經開發的野生地帶，不一定乾燥
- oasis
沙漠中的綠洲，有水源和植物
Usage Note
可數名詞，可與定冠詞連用（the Sahara Desert），亦可當專有名詞的一部分。與 dessert（甜點）發音不同—desert 重音在第一音節/ˈdɛzərt/。
Common Mistakes
2. 在文化、知識或精神方面缺乏趣味或價值的荒蕪之地
在文化、知識或精神方面缺乏趣味或價值的荒蕪之地
Harper found the suburb a cultural desert with no bookshops or galleries.
figurative use: a cultural desert
After the factory closed, the town became an economic desert with few jobs.
figurative pattern: [adjective] desert
Chiara moved to Taipei because her hometown felt like an artistic desert.
Without a single library, the remote village was an intellectual desert for students.
a[n] [adjective] desert — intellectual desert
- cultural desert
- intellectual desert
- spiritual desert
Usage Note
常用於比喻結構 a(n) [形容詞] desert，如 a cultural desert 或 an intellectual desert。形容詞通常指某方面的匱乏。
desert — verb
1. 未經許可擅自脫離軍隊，且無意返回
未經許可擅自脫離軍隊，且無意返回
The soldier was court-martialled after trying to desert his regiment during the night.
desert + military unit
During the war, a group of troops deserted their post because supplies had run out.
desert + post/position
The captain warned that anyone who tried to desert would face a court martial.
More than a hundred soldiers deserted the army during the long winter retreat.
desert + the army
- desert the army
- desert one's post
- desert the regiment
- desert to the enemy
Grammar Patterns
desert + the army/navy/post
Usage Note
在軍事語境中，desert 是嚴重罪行，可被軍事法庭審判。名詞形式是 desertion（逃兵罪）。注意此義的動詞重音在第二音節 /dɪˈzɜrt/，與名詞不同。
Common Mistakes
2. 在他人需要幫助或身處困境時離開對方，並且不再回來
在他人需要幫助或身處困境時離開對方，並且不再回來
Shirin felt her husband had deserted her when she needed him most after the accident.
desert + person in need
The charity refused to desert the village even after the government withdrew its support.
desert + group/place + despite difficulty
Dylan refused to desert his younger brother when their parents separated.
The company deserted its employees by moving the whole factory overseas without warning.
- desert one's family
- desert one's friends
- desert one's responsibilities
- feel deserted
- abandon
語意最接近，通用性高
- forsake
文學用語，語氣更強，帶有背棄承諾的意味
- leave in the lurch
口語用法，指在緊要關頭拋下他人
Grammar Patterns
desert + someone
Usage Note
此義帶有強烈的道德譴責意味，指違背責任或承諾。與 leave 相比，desert 更強調拋棄的行為是不義且永久的。
Common Mistakes
3. （勇氣、信心、記憶等）突然暫時消失，使人在需要時無法運用
（勇氣、信心、記憶等）突然暫時消失，使人在需要時無法運用
When João stepped onto the stage, his confidence completely deserted him.
subject = confidence; pattern: quality deserts person
Talia tried to explain, but her words deserted her and she stood in silence.
subject = words; subject is an ability/quality
Right before the exam, all the facts Ari had memorised simply deserted him.
Saira's sense of humour never deserts her, even during the most stressful times.
present tense: never deserts = always present
- courage deserts someone
- confidence deserts someone
- words desert someone
- luck deserts someone
Grammar Patterns
[courage/confidence/words] + deserts + someone
Usage Note
主詞通常是抽象名詞（courage、confidence、luck、words、memory），受詞為人。此義無被動語態，也無進行式。
desert — adjective
1. 偏遠且無人居住，或只有極少數人居住的
偏遠且無人居住，或只有極少數人居住的
The hikers got lost on a desert trail with no shelter for miles.
desert + stretch/area — remote, uninhabited
Minho dreamed of living on a desert island far from the city noise.
set phrase: desert island
The shipwreck left the crew stranded on a desert shore for two weeks.
The settlers built a small cabin in a desert valley where nobody ever went.
desert valley — remote uninhabited area
- desert island
- desert stretch
- desert area
- desert shore
- desolate
強調荒涼且令人感到孤寂
- uninhabited
直接說明無人居住，語氣中性
- barren
強調土地貧瘠，不適合居住或耕種
Usage Note
desert island 是常見搭配，指定居的偏遠小島，如 Robinson Crusoe 中的場景。注意 desert island 與 deserted island 經常互換使用，但 desert 在此作形容詞（無人居住的），而非名詞（沙漠）。
2. 與沙漠有關的；具有沙漠特徵的
與沙漠有關的；具有沙漠特徵的
The desert climate in this region means temperatures can reach 50 degrees Celsius.
desert climate / desert conditions
Desert plants like cacti store water in their thick stems to survive dry spells.
desert plants / desert wildlife
The desert landscape stretched out before them, golden and completely silent.
Ramón studied how desert animals like the fennec fox cope with extreme heat.
desert animals — [noun] + desert
- desert climate
- desert plants
- desert landscape
- desert heat
- desert sand
- desert region
Usage Note
此義的形容詞只用於修飾與沙漠直接相關的名詞（climate, plants, landscape, heat），不可用於描述一般事物的荒涼。
3. 被遺棄而顯得空蕩冷清的；無人煙的
被遺棄而顯得空蕩冷清的；無人煙的
The old lighthouse stood on a desert stretch of coast, battered by wind and waves.
desert = forsaken, empty
Asher wandered through the desert streets of the ghost town at sunset.
desert streets = empty, abandoned streets
The railway station had a desert platform with weeds growing through the cracks.
A single dog sat on the desert steps of the old school, waiting for someone.
desert steps = forsaken, empty
- desert streets
- desert coast
- desert house
- desert land
Usage Note
此義較文學化，現代英語中更常用 deserted 來表達相同意思（如 a deserted street）。desert 作形容詞的此義較少出現在日常對話中。
Word family
- desertedadjectiveB1
- desertionnounC1
- deserternounC1
- desertificationnounC1
Synonym discussion
Sense: noun/1
這四個詞都指自然環境中人口稀少的地帶，但各自的氣候與地表條件不同。Desert（沙漠）的核心特徵是降雨量極少（年均低於250毫米），地表多沙或岩石，植被稀疏，例如撒哈拉沙漠。Wasteland（荒原）範圍較廣，可指任何廢棄或貧瘠的土地，不限於乾燥氣候，也可用於比喻（精神荒原）。Wilderness（荒野）強調未經人為開發的原始自然區域，可能覆蓋茂密森林，與沙漠的乾燥特徵相反。Tundra（凍原）專指北極或高山地區的低溫、永久凍土環境。例如：The Sahara is a hot desert, but northern Canada is a frozen wilderness. This industrial site is now a polluted wasteland.
Common collocations
Nouns
- desert heat
- desert sand
- desert landscape
- desert island
- desert region
Phrases
- a cultural desert
- a desert of boredom
- desert someone in need
Prepositions
- in the desert
- across the desert
- through the desert
Etymology
Desert 一詞有兩個截然不同的來源。地理名詞與形容詞源自拉丁語 dēsertum（荒蕪之地），經由古法語 desert 進入英語，13世紀起指無人居住的荒地。動詞則源自拉丁語 dēserere（離棄、拋棄），由 de-（遠離）與 serere（連結、結合）組成，原意是「切斷連結」，14世紀進入英語。雖然兩個來源的拼寫後來趨同，但發音不同：名詞與形容詞重音在第一音節（/ˈdɛzərt/），動詞在第二音節（/dɪˈzɜrt/）。