desolator
|de-so-la-tor|
🇺🇸
/ˈdɛsəˌleɪtər/
🇬🇧
/ˈdɛsəleɪtə/
one who causes desolation
Etymology
'desolator' originates from Latin, specifically from the verb 'desolare' (past participle 'desolatus'), where 'de-' meant 'away, completely' and 'solare' (related to 'solus') meant 'to make alone/abandon.'
'desolatus' entered Late Latin and influenced Old French and Middle English forms (such as Middle English 'desolat(e)'); the English agent-noun 'desolator' was formed later by adding the suffix '-or' to the verb/adjective stem 'desolate.'
Initially it related to the idea of 'making solitary or forsaken' in Latin; over time the sense shifted toward 'laying waste' or 'causing ruin,' leading to the modern meaning 'one who causes desolation.'
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
an agent (person, group, or thing) that desolates — that causes destruction, ruin, or severe devastation.
The invading force acted as a desolator, leaving villages in ashes and fields barren.
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Noun 2
a literary or figurative epithet for something that brings desolation (e.g., famine, plague, or a natural disaster referred to as 'a desolator').
Poets of the era called the drought a desolator that stole the town's prosperity.
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Last updated: 2025/12/16 01:59