This is the 3389th most frequent Spanish word.
desierto
A barren, dry region with little to no vegetation.
Here, 'desierto' is used as a noun to refer specifically to a type of dry, arid terrain.
El desierto del Sahara es uno de los más grandes del mundo.
The Sahara Desert is one of the largest in the world.
In this example, 'desierto' is an adjective describing something uninhabited or deserted.
El pueblo quedó desierto después de la guerra.
The town was deserted after the war.
Here, 'desierta' is an adjective metaphorically implying abandonment or lack of progression.