Emily Dickinson Lexicon

DES'O-LATE, v.t. [L. desolo, desolatus; de and solo, to lay waste, solus, alone; Sp. desolar; Fr. desoler; It. desolare.]

1. To deprive of inhabitants; to make desert. The earth was nearly desolated by the flood.
2. To lay waste; to ruin; to ravage; to destroy improvements or works of art. An inundation desolates fields. Whole countries have been desolated by armies.