Further to my previous posting about desserts and deserts, I should point out that the "desert" in "just deserts" is not the dry, sandy place. These are two different words; they just happen to be spelled the same way. The Sahara is a desert (pronounced DEZZert); the word comes from the Latin desertus (abandoned, left waste) and is related to the verb "desert", which is (confusingly) pronounced duhZERT.
The "desert" in "just deserts" is pronounced duhZERT, but is related to the word "deserve".
So, to summarize:
desert 1. noun. dry sandy place, like the Sahara. Pronounced DEZZert. Used in "desert island".
desert 2. verb. abandon. Pronounced duhZERT.
desert 3. noun. what you deserve. Now only used in the phrase "just deserts". **NOT "just desserts"**. Pronounced duhZERT
dessert. noun. sweet thing served at the end of a meal. Pronounced duhZERT.
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