arid
Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
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English [edit]
Etymology [edit]
Ultimately from the Latin term āridus (“dry, arid, parched”), confer its synonymous contracted form ardus. Originally from the verb āreo (“I am dry, I am parched”), akin to ārdeō (“I'm on fire, I burn”).
Pronunciation [edit]
- (UK) IPA: /ˈæ.ɹɪd/ X-SAMPA: /{.rId/
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(in accents without the "Mary, marry, merry" merger)Audio (US) (file) -
(in accents with the "Mary, marry, merry" merger)Audio (US) (file)
Adjective [edit]
arid (comparative arider or more arid, superlative aridest or most arid)
- Very dry.
- Describing a very dry climate. Typically defined as less than 25 cm or 10 inches of rainfall annually.
- Devoid of value.
Quotations [edit]
- 1956 — Arthur C. Clarke, The City and the Stars, p 37
- Such occupations might have seemed arid to those who did not possess the intellect to appreciate their subtleties.
Translations [edit]
very dry