noun
aridity
uh-RID-uh-tee/əˈrɪdəti/
Extreme dryness from lack of moisture.
The region's aridity leaves its fields dry for most of the year.
Etymology
The Latin adjective described something parched or lacking moisture. The abstract ending names that condition itself, rather than a process of drying, matching the English sense of extreme dryness.
In context
there was an increase in the nestedness component of temporal beta diversity at intermittent sites as aridity increased
More examples
- Few crops tolerate this degree of aridity.
- The critic complained about the aridity of the lecture.
- The report links increasing aridity to shrinking wetlands.
Similar words
- dryness
- The general lack of moisture, not necessarily extreme.
- barrenness
- Lack of productivity or vegetation, which has causes beyond dryness.