Xeric
[ZER-ik]
Part of speech: adjective
Origin: Ancient Greek, early 20th century
1.
(Of an environment or habitat) Containing little moisture; very dry.
Examples of Xeric in a sentence
"The moment we stepped off the plane in Las Vegas, we could feel the xeric atmosphere in our lungs."
"It’s a challenge to attempt farming in a xeric region where almost nothing grows easily."
About Xeric
“Xeric” is based on the ancient Greek word “ξηρός” (“xērós”), meaning “dry.”
Did you Know?
One of the most intensely xeric areas on Earth is the Atacama desert plateau, which runs nearly 1,000 miles along Chile’s western coast. Some parts of the Atacama plateau are so xeric, they’ve gone more than 500 years without a drop of rain. Though the ground beneath the Atacama plateau is rich in some minerals, the region is best known as one of the most ideal areas in the world for astronomical telescopes, thanks to the rarity of clouds. The xeric environment has also been compared to that of Mars — the Atacama plateau has been used both as a backdrop for movies set on Mars and as a testing site for NASA engineers developing technology for future Mars voyages.
