DESERTION, noun 1. The act of forsaking or abandoning, as a party, a friend, a country, an army or military band, or a ship; the act of quitting, with an intention not to return. 2. The state of being forsaken by God; spiritual despondency. The agonies of a soul under desertion
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI