arid

adjective

ar·​id ˈa-rəd How to pronounce arid (audio)
ˈer-əd
Synonyms of aridnext
1
: excessively dry
specifically : having insufficient rainfall to support agriculture
an arid region
2
: lacking in interest and life : jejune
arid textbooks
aridity
ə-ˈri-də-tē How to pronounce arid (audio)
a-
noun
aridness
ˈa-rəd-nəs How to pronounce arid (audio)
ˈer-əd-
noun

Synonyms

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

Examples of arid in a Sentence

a dull and arid textbook an arid speech about duty and responsibility
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Thousands of different types of plants from the world’s arid regions are spread across the landscape. —Roger Naylor, The Arizona Republic, 26 Oct. 2024 The Caspian also helps regulate this arid region’s climate, providing rainfall and moisture to Central Asia. —Laura Paddison, CNN, 24 Oct. 2024 The arid region had experienced triple-digit temperatures, which officials believe may have been a factor in the cows' deaths. —Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY, 24 Oct. 2024 Dubai even shares the similarly arid climate of Las Vegas which explains why much of its entertainment is indoors. —Caroline Reid, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for arid 

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French & Latin; French aride, going back to Middle French, borrowed from Latin āridus, ārdus "dry, waterless, withered, austere (of style)," derivative, with the adjective suffix -idus, of ārēre "to be dry, parched, withered," going back to Indo-European *h2eh1s-eh1-, stative derivative of a verbal base *h2eh1s- "make dry with heat," whence also Tocharian A asatär "(it) dries up," Tocharian B osotär; also from the same base a root noun *h2eh1s-, whence Hittite ḫāšš- "ashes, dust," from which as thematic derivatives Sanskrit ā́saḥ "ashes, dust," and (as a collective or noun of appurtenance?) *h2eh1s-eh2-, whence Latin āra "altar," Oscan aasaí (locative), Hittite ḫāššā- "hearth," Old High German essa, esse "forge" (from *asjō-), Old Swedish æsia, æssia "smith's fire," Old Icelandic esja "soapstone (used in hearths)" (both from *asjōn-)

Note: Regarding the apparent derivatives ardēre "to burn, emit light or flame" and ardor "burning, fierce heat," see ardent. — Lexikon der indogermanischen Verben gives the "essive" (= stative) form of the verbal base *h2eh1s as *h2h1s-h1i̯é- and attributes the length in Latin ārēre to the influence of noun derivatives such as āra. D. Adams, however, regards the original base in Tocharian A and B to have been *ās-, corresponding to the length in the Latin verb (see A Dictionary of Tocharian B, Revised and Greatly Enlarged, Rodopi, 2013, p. 63). A. Kloekhorst (Etymological Dictionary of the Hittite Inherited Lexicon, Brill, 2008, pp. 322-23) regards the short vowel in Germanic as the residue of an oblique case form *h1h2s- of the root noun. See also ash entry 2, azalea.

First Known Use

1652, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of arid was in 1652

Phrases Containing arid

Dictionary Entries Near arid

aricuri

arid

arid cycle

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Arid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/arid. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

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Kids Definition

arid

adjective
ar·​id ˈar-əd How to pronounce arid (audio)
: very dry
especially : not having enough rainfall to support agriculture
aridity
ə-ˈrid-ət-ē How to pronounce arid (audio)
a-
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on arid

Nglish: Translation of arid for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of arid for Arabic Speakers

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