Emily Dickinson Lexicon

DES'ERT, a. [s as z; L. desertus, desero; de and sere, to sow, plant or scatter; Fr. desert; Sp. desierto.]

1. Literally, forsaken; hence, uninhabited; as, a desert isle. Hence, wild; unfilled; waste; uncultivated; as, a desert land or country.
2. Void; empty; unoccupied. Full many a flower is born to blush unseen, / And waste its sweetness on the desert air. – Gray.