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desertar

to desert; to abandon

verb deh-sehr-TAHR Rare

Origin: From Latin desertare, frequentative of deserere 'to abandon'.

Also means

to defect

Usage Note

Desertar most commonly refers to a soldier abandoning military duty without permission. It also applies broadly to leaving a group, cause, or obligation — desertar de sus responsabilidades means to shirk one's responsibilities. The noun form is deserción.

Examples

"El soldado decidió desertar del ejército."

Natural Translation

The soldier decided to desert the army.

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