A person immersed in the world of fantasy, a traveler to distant lands or a simple layman, probably came across the word "wasteland". It is found everywhere: in news, books, games, stories and much more. But what is a wasteland and where did this concept come from? To answer the question, you need to understand the etymology and origin of the phrase.
Meaning
Referring to many sources, one can form a definition that a wasteland is an uninhabited piece of land. It is often used in books, but is described in different ways. In particular, in the meaning of the wasteland, an area is indicated that is not protected from the wind, with overgrown grass and shrubs. Such land is difficult to plow, and it will not bear fruit, because it contains an admixture of sand.
You can meet this word in famous films with a post-apocalyptic theme of the world. For example, in the film "Mad Max", whose universe completely resembles a wasteland, it tells about the unenviable fate of the heroes of the film. Oftenthe phrase represents the problems and hard lives of people in video games.
There is an expression: "It's good where we are not." You can’t say the same about the wasteland, since the interpretation of the phrase indicates the opposite. It is a place where you can build a house, but it is very difficult to live, because there are no deciduous trees in the wasteland to protect from the wind, and the land on it does not bear fruit. What the wasteland means is difficult to say, since some sources express their understanding of this word in different ways. For example, Ushakov's explanatory dictionary has several interpretations:
- The shape of the relief.
- A certain piece of land without a permanent owner.
- Highlands with loose soil mixed with sand.
So, the word is used in relation to some type of earth's surface.
The most famous wastelands in the world
The celebrity of the word is due to the sequence of events of certain places. So, the city from the distant times of the USSR still inspires fear in many residents of Russia - Chernobyl. The catastrophe that happened in 1986 thundered all over the world. Because of it, the territory of the land was completely deprived of local residents, as they needed to be relocated to a safe space. The city has become empty, and now it is not recommended to come to it for inexperienced lovers to explore the abandoned squares.
Determining what a wasteland is is not an easy decision, since such an area looks like a steppe and misleads outsidersof people. Not all locations in the world are as dangerous as Chernobyl.
There is such a place as moorland - a mountainous expanse unsuitable for human life. It is not dangerous, but the soil there is completely loose, which does not even allow building any buildings on it. The area got its name in honor of the fact that almost all the mountains are overgrown with common heather (Calluna vulgaris). The location extends into the Pennines of the UK.
People often confuse desert and wasteland, which is considered erroneous, since both concepts have different meanings and the first indicates a piece of land without vegetation.
Origin
It is not known exactly where the word came from, but its existence is rooted in the distant past. A striking example is the fact that wastelands began to emerge during the time of feudal fragmentation and the Tatar-Mongol yoke. People had to leave their homes, go to other cities due to hard times.
What is a wasteland, it becomes clear even during the Second World War. A terrible time gave rise not only to a huge number of losses, but also destroyed cities. As soon as the territories were captured by enemy forces, the most valuable was extracted, and then subjected to fire, a bare territory appeared on the site of the settlement. Thus, a piece of land became an uninhabitable wasteland.
Currently, they are in settlements long separated from big cities, such as small villages or lonely buildings.
Synonyms
If you paraphrase a word, choosing another one that has a similar meaning and approximate sound, you can give the following examples:
- Tract. A place that is completely different from other pieces of land. It can be both a field and former settlements.
- Deserts. A monastery or cell, completely separated from the main temple, and also not inhabited by people.
- Wild field.
- Wasteland. An unfinished or completely neglected place.
It becomes clear that the meanings of the wasteland are different and have many meanings.
Unusable land: what happens on it?
Of course, after a person leaves a certain territory, it becomes clear that life on it is not possible. However, this is a myth, because over time the area is overgrown with many plants. The most popular among them are plantain and wormwood.
Strong signs
Now it has become known what the word "wasteland" means and in what cases it should be used correctly: it refers to places left by people, where the soil is partly sandy and unsuitable for agriculture. It is characterized by an open area of \u200b\u200bthe territory that is not protected from the wind. The population on it is small, and the area around it is overgrown, with a minimum number of plants. It is often indicated that the wasteland is such a historical phenomenon when a small village or town is completely left without local residents.
