Skip to main content
dryland

dryland

1 5.1
Land that gets very little rain and has no irrigation
  • noun
  • /ˈdraɪˌlænd/
  • Specialized
translation icon : tierra seca
  • Up to a billion people live in the drylands of the developing world.
  • dryland degradation
  • dryland region
  • dryland agriculture

Examples

  • The vast expanse of dryland is home to unique plant species that thrive with minimal water.

  • In regions known as dryland, farmers rely completely on rainfall for their crops.

  • The contribution of dryland degradation is too small to have a substantial impact.

    Academic text (1993)
  • We also seeded dryland grass in the desert to keep the soil from blowing away.

    Academic text (1992)
  • More than 100 countries are suffering the consequences of desertification or land degradation in dryland areas.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Their history and experience are invaluable to global efforts designed to protect and conserve drylands.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Perceptions of the world's drylands are undergoing dramatic change.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Farmers who lose their irrigation water have the option of returning to lower-yield dryland farming if rainfall permits.

    Academic text (2008)
  • In about one-third of the world's land areas regarded as drylands, salt lakes form an important part of the landscape.

    Academic text (1996)
  • Conservation tillage also benefits dryland fields, like those farmed by Wayne Labar and son-in-law Charles Wadkins.

    Academic text (1997)

Synonyms

desert
vsdryland
894 1.3

A large dry area with very little rain and few plants

focuses on land not watered by irrigation rather than size or sandiness
arid landscape
vsdryland
1 5.0

A very dry area of land with little or no plant life

means land with very little rain and not watered by irrigation
dry landscape
vsdryland
1 3.9

An area of land with little water and few plants

emphasizes land is not watered by irrigation rather than moisture alone

Compounds

9.6

A low bush that has dark blue sweet berries

A low bush in the eastern United States that has dark blue sweet berries

How Dry

desert
894 1.3
dryland
  • Specialized
1 5.1
grassland
20 2.7
wetland
68 3.5

Surface Forms

dryland singular
drylands plural

Morphology

dryland = dry + land (transparent) = dry + land

The noun denotes land characterized by little rainfall; the compound's meaning follows directly from 'dry' + 'land'.

Etymology

Dryland comes from dry ('without much water') plus land ('ground' or 'area'), so dryland as a noun names land that gets very little rain and is not irrigated.