desert
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- 1 desert
It refers to a desert, a large, dry region with very little rainfall and sparse vegetation.
desert
A large area of dry land that receives very little precipitation.
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พวกเขาขี่อูฐข้ามทะเลทราย phûak khǎw khìi ùut khâam thaleesaay They rode camels across the desert. พวกเขาขี่อูฐข้ามทะเลทราย details
Learning notes
Explanation
The word combines ทะเล, “sea,” and ทราย, “sand.” The literal image is a “sea of sand,” but the word also covers rocky deserts. It is a standard noun used in both everyday conversation and geography. Desert names normally follow ทะเลทราย, as in ทะเลทรายซาฮารา, “the Sahara Desert.” Use the classifier แห่ง when counting deserts: ทะเลทรายสองแห่ง means “two deserts.”
Usage
Common in geography lessons, nature documentaries, and travel conversations, especially when discussing desert climates, wildlife, or tourism.
Caution
A sandy beach is หาดทราย, and a sand dune is เนินทราย. A place does not qualify as ทะเลทราย simply because it has sand. Deserts can also be cold, so the word does not necessarily imply heat.