Wüstenei

wasteland

noun vues-te-NYE Rare

Also means

barren expanse

Usage Note

Wüstenei is a literary word for a desolate wasteland, more emotive than plain Wüste (desert). It evokes bleakness and abandonment. Feminine, plural Wüsteneien; you will meet it mainly in older or poetic prose.

Examples

"Hinter den Bergen erstreckte sich eine trostlose Wüstenei."

Natural Translation

Beyond the mountains stretched a desolate wasteland.

Literal Translation

Behind the mountains stretched itself a desolate wasteland.

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