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Glite Dictionary
xerophytic

xerophytic

9.9
A plant that lives in very dry places and stores water
  • adjective
  • /ˌzɪəroʊˈfɪtɪk/
  • Specialized
translation icon : xerofítico
  • Cacti are well-known for their xerophytic adaptations, allowing them to thrive in harsh desert conditions.

Examples

  • We inspected the bushes at the National Arboretum, running mostly to prickly, grayish xerophytic scrub.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • The original vegetation of this upstream segment is a xerophytic caatinga, extremely degraded by centuries of goat herding.

    Academic text (1994)

  • The few climbers that are present have xerophytic features.

    Academic text (1993)

  • The second story is very poorly developed, consisting of spiny and xerophytic species.

    Academic text (1993)

  • Particularly on the drier mountainsides, whether or not their lower vertical stems bear leaves, these fairly straight, 3-4 millimeter diameter vines stand out from the tangled forms of the xerophytic trees and bushes.

    Academic text (1993)

  • The xerophytic plants in the garden need very little water to survive.

  • During the hike, we observed various xerophytic species that have evolved to conserve moisture.

Synonyms

xeric
vsxerophytic
  • Specialized
1 9.9

Very dry and needing little water, like a desert

focuses on adaptation with features to reduce water loss for survival
xeromorphic
vsxerophytic
  • Specialized
9.9

Leaves or parts of plants adapted to live in dry places by losing less water

is about whole organisms adapted to live in dry environments

Antonyms

moist
105 1.0

Slightly wet in a pleasant or suitable way

hydrated
  • Specialized
4.4

Containing water inside its solid crystals, as some salts and minerals

Compounds

xerophytic plant
  • Specialized
7.9

A plant that can live with very little water

How Drought-Adapted

xerophytic
  • Specialized
9.9
mesophytic
  • Specialized
9.9

Surface Forms

xerophytic positive

Morphology

xerophytic = xerophyte (semi-transparent) = xerophyte + ic

The adjective is a regular derivation from 'xerophyte' by adding '-ic', but the base 'xerophyte' is a technical term formed from Greek combining forms that many learners may not know.

Etymology

Xerophytic comes from Greek parts xero- meaning 'dry' and -phytic meaning 'plant'. Think of it as a 'dry plant' like a cactus that stores water, which is why xerophytic describes plants adapted to live in deserts.