taru-adjective, adverb taking the 'to' particle
Literary taru-adjective and adverb describing a landscape or scene as bleak, empty, and ruined. Often used with たる or と.
A desolate wilderness stretched out before my eyes.
The battlefield was desolate, with no sign of people.
Compound of 荒 (rough, wild) and 漠 (vague, vast, desert-like). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the combination conveys a sense of barren emptiness.