Definition
An area of barren, desolate, or uncultivated land; also used metaphorically to describe something spiritually or culturally empty.
Etymology
Compound of 'waste' (from Old French 'wast' meaning empty or desolate) and 'land.' The term gained profound literary significance through T.S. Eliot's 1922 poem 'The Waste Land,' which transformed it into a powerful metaphor for spiritual and cultural desolation.
Kelly Says
Wasteland captures both literal environmental devastation and metaphorical cultural emptiness, making it one of the most evocative compound words in English. Eliot's poem elevated this simple geographical term into a symbol of modernity's alienation, proving how literature can permanently alter a word's emotional resonance.
Translations
ARالعربية
أرض قاحلة
ʾarḍ qāḥilah
BNবাংলা
প্রান্তর
pran.tar
CACatalà
terra erma
tɛr.ɾə ˈɛr.mə
CSČeština
pustina
pu.sti.na
DEDeutsch
Ödland
øːt.lant
ESEspañol
tierra baldía
ˈtjera balˈði.a
FISuomi
autiomaa
ɑu.ti.ɔ.mɑː
HAHA
ƙasar hamada
kʼasɑr hɑ.mɑ.dɑ
IDBahasa Indonesia
tanah tandus
tanah tan.dus
ITItaliano
terra desolata
ˈtɛr.ra de.soˈlaː.ta
KMKM
ដីលំបាក
dei lum.bɑːk
MSBahasa Melayu
tanah tandus
tanah tan.dus
MYမြန်မာ
ချိုင့်ဝှမ်း
khying hwam
NLNederlands
woestenij
ʋuːstənɛi
NONorsk
ødemark
ø̀ːdəmɑrk
PLPolski
pustynia
puˈstɨɲa
PTPortuguês
terra baldia
ˈtɛʁɐ ˈbaw.dʒi.ɐ
SVSvenska
ödemark
øːdəmark
SWKiswahili
jangwa
dʒaŋɡwa
TAதமிழ்
வளமற்ற நிலம்
vaḷamattṟa nilam
TEతెలుగు
విసనకరమైన భూమి
visanakaramaina bhūmi
THไทย
ที่ดินว่างเปล่า
thiː din waŋ plɛː
TLTL
kamingawan
kaˈmiŋ.a.wan
UKУкраїнська
пустеля
pustelja
VITiếng Việt
đất hoang
ɗat˧ hwaːŋ˧
YOYO
agbegbe alaaye
aɡ.bɛɡ.bɛ a.la.a.je
ZUZU
indawo engapheli
in.dawo eŋa.pʰɛ.li