desertification

UK: /dɪˌzɜː^rtɪfɪˈkeɪʃ^ən/ US: (di zûr′tə fi kā′shən)

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

de•sert•i•fi•ca•tion  (di zûr′tə fi kā′shən), n. [Ecol.]

1. Ecology the processes by which an area becomes a desert.
2. Ecology the rapid depletion of plant life and the loss of topsoil at desert boundaries and in semiarid regions, usually caused by a combination of drought and the overexploitation of grasses and other vegetation by people.

Also, des•ert•i•za•tion  (dez′ər tə zā′shən). Cf. aridification. 

• desert¹ + -i- + -fication 1970–75

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

desertification / dɪˌzɜːtɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/ noun

1. a process by which fertile land turns into barren land or desert