lay waste to

:  to beat or strike down with force

:  to put or set down

:  to place for rest or sleep

:  covert, lair

:  something (such as a layer) that lies or is laid (see ¹lay)

:  line of action :  plan

: past tense oflie

:  a simple narrative poem :  ballad

:  melody, song

:  of or relating to the laity :  not ecclesiastical

:  of or relating to members of a religious house occupied with domestic or manual work

:  not of a particular profession

:  a sparsely settled or barren region :  desert

:  uncultivated land

:  a broad and empty expanse (as of water)

:  to lay waste

:  to damage or destroy gradually and progressively

:  to cause to shrink in physical bulk or strength :  emaciate, enfeeble

:  being wild and uninhabited :  desolate

:  arid, empty

:  not cultivated :  not productive