\Des"o*late\, a. [L. desolatus, p. p. of desolare to
leave alone, forsake; de- + solare to make lonely, solus
alone. See {Sole}, a.]
1. Destitute or deprived of inhabitants; deserted;
   uninhabited; hence, gloomy; as, a desolate isle; a
   desolate wilderness; a desolate house.
         I will make Jerusalem . . . a den of dragons, and I
         will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an
         inhabitant.                           --Jer. ix. 11.
         And the silvery marish flowers that throng The
         desolate creeks and pools among.      --Tennyson.
2. Laid waste; in a ruinous condition; neglected; destroyed;
   as, desolate altars.
3. Left alone; forsaken; lonely; comfortless.
         Have mercy upon, for I am desolate.   --Ps. xxv. 16.
         Voice of the poor and desolate.       --Keble.
4. Lost to shame; dissolute. [Obs.] --Chaucer.
5. Destitute of; lacking in. [Obs.]
         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.