1. (n.) That which is deserved; the reward or the punishment justly due; claim to recompense, usually in a good sense; right to reward; merit.

2. (n.) A deserted or forsaken region; a barren tract incapable of supporting population, as the vast sand plains of Asia and Africa are destitute and vegetation.

3. (n.) A tract, which may be capable of sustaining a population, but has been left unoccupied and uncultivated; a wilderness; a solitary place.

4. (a.) of or pertaining to a desert; forsaken; without life or cultivation; unproductive; waste; barren; wild; desolate; solitary; as, they landed on a desert island.

5. (v. t.) To leave (especially something which one should stay by and support); to leave in the lurch; to abandon; to forsake; -- implying blame, except sometimes when used of localities; as, to desert a friend, a principle, a cause, one's country.

6. (v. t.) To abandon (the service) without leave; to forsake in violation of duty; to abscond from; as, to desert the army; to desert one's colors.

7. (v. i.) To abandon a service without leave; to quit military service without permission, before the expiration of one's term; to abscond.

Arabia Deserta Death Valley Lebensraum Sahara Saharan abandon abscond absquatulate acarpous advantageousness agreeableness air space alkali flat alluvial plain anhydrous apostacize apostatize arid athirst auspiciousness back country bare barren barren land barrens basin be unfaithful beat a retreat beneficialness benevolence benignity betray bolt bone-dry bottomland break away break faith brush bush bushveld campo celibate champaign champaign country change sides chastening chastisement childless chuck class clear out clear space clearance clearing coastal plain cogency comeuppance compensation cut and run decamp defect degenerate delta depart deserted deserts deserving desolate desolation discipline distant prospect down downs drained dried-up droughty dry dry as dust due dust bowl dusty elope empty empty view escape excellence exhausted expedience fail fairness fall away fall off fallow favorableness fell fineness first-rateness flat flat country flatland flats flee fly forsake fruitless fugitate gaunt gelded glade go go AWOL go back on go over goodliness goodness grace grass veld grassland healthiness heath helpfulness high and dry howling wilderness impotent ineffectual infecund infertile issueless jejune jilt juiceless jump jump bail just deserts justice karroo kindness lande leached leave let down levant level like parchment living space llano lonely lowland lowlands lunar landscape lunar mare lunar waste make off mare maroon menopausal merit mesa mesilla moor moorland niceness nonfertile nonproducing nonproductive nonprolific open country open space outback pampa pampas pass the buck payment peneplain plain plains plateau playa pleasantness prairie profitableness pull out punishment quality quit quittance rat recompense renegade renege renounce reprisal repudiate requital retribution revenge reward rewardingness right rights run run away run away from run away with run for it run off run out on salt flat salt marsh salt pan sandy sapless savanna sebkha secede sell out shift the blame shift the responsibility show the heels sine prole skedaddle skillfulness skip skip out slip the cable soundness steppe sterile strand sucked dry superiority switch switch over table tableland take French leave take flight take to flight take wing teemless tergiversate terrain territory thirsting thirsty throw over tree veld tundra turn turn against turn cloak turn tail turn traitor uncultivated