Part 210

I were right now of tales desolate.

Chaucer.

Syn. -- Desert; uninhabited; lonely; waste.

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.

Des"o*late*ly (?), adv. In a desolate manner.

Des"o*late*ness, n. The state of being desolate.

Des"o*la`ter (?), n. One who, or that which, desolates or lays waste. Mede.

Des`o*la"tion (?), n. [F. désolation, L. desolatio.] 1. The act of desolating or laying waste; destruction of inhabitants; depopulation.

Unto the end of the war desolations are determined.

Dan. ix. 26.

2. The state of being desolated or laid waste; ruin; solitariness; destitution; gloominess.

You would have sold your king to slaughter, . . . And his whole kingdom into desolation.

Shak.

3. A place or country wasted and forsaken.

How is Babylon become a desolation!

Jer. l. 23.

Syn. -- Waste; ruin; destruction; havoc; devastation; ravage; sadness; destitution; melancholy; gloom; gloominess.

Des"o*la`tor (?), n. [L.] Same as Desolater. Byron.

Des"o*la*to*ry (?), a. [L. desolatorius.] Causing desolation. [R.] Bp. Hall.

De`so*phis"ti*cate (?), v. t. To clear from sophism or error. [R.] Hare.

Des`ox*al"ic (?), a. [F. pref. des- from + E. oxalic.] (Chem.) Made or derived from oxalic acid; as, desoxalic acid.

De*spair" (?), v. i. [imp. & p. p. Despaired (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Despairing.] [OE. despeiren, dispeiren, OF. desperer, fr. L. desperare; de- + sperare to hope; akin to spes hope, and perh. to spatium space, E. space, speed; cf. OF. espeir hope, F. espoir. Cf. Prosper, Desperate.] To be hopeless; to have no hope; to give up all hope or expectation; -- often with of.

We despaired even of life.

2 Cor. i. 8.

Never despair of God's blessings here.