desertify

transitive verb

de·​sert·​i·​fy di-ˈzər-tə-ˌfī 

desertified; desertifying; desertifies

: to make (an area) into arid land or desert : to cause (land) to undergo desertification

The thick, dusty air … coats grass blades to death and desertifies everything in a wide radius around the city.

—New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2009

In North America alone an estimated 1.1 billion acres have been desertified, and researchers suggest that global warming may generate more desert acreage in the coming century.

—Carl Zimmer, Discover, February 1995

Word History

First Known Use

1981, in the meaning defined above

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Rhymes for desertify

• acidify
• alveoli
• areolae
• demystify
• detoxify
• disqualify
• diversify
• electrify
• exemplify
• fasciculi
• identify
• indemnify