arid climate
1
4.1
- noun
- /ˈærɪd ˈklaɪmət/
- Specialized
:
clima árido
- With relatively low natural recharge rates, a semi-arid climate, and the dramatic increase in the use of groundwater throughout the region, declining water levels have plagued the region since the 1940s.
Examples
-
A camel is a domesticated cud-chewing mammal... indigenous to arid climates.
-
Rising temperatures, an arid climate, and economic and social development add to demands on water supplies.
Academic text (2005) -
"It will be the first that is at a high elevation in an arid climate.
Blog text (20) -
All those unfortunate developments are taking place against a background of global climate change that is creating an increasingly arid climate in East Africa.
Academic text (2006) -
The development of drought-tolerant crops now promises an even greater ability to survive a more arid climate.
Blog text (20) -
These plants here do grow in arid climates better than very wet climates.
-
Land in some arid climates might produce grasses suitable for grazing wild animals, but be much too dry for raising vegetables and fruits.
Academic text (1990) -
The marine metaphor is fitting because the character of the landscape owes as much to the inland sea that once covered the region as it does to today's arid climate.
Academic text (2009) -
All I knew about it when I planted it was that it smelled lemony (natch) and it would grow well in our arid climate, even though I forget to water.
Blog text (13) -
Farmers in arid climates often struggle to find enough water for their crops.
Synonyms
1
7.9
Very dry conditions because of little or no rain
A very dry area with little or no rain that makes plants hard to grow
Antonyms
How Dry
- Specialized
- Specialized
1
4.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a climate characterized by very low rainfall and dry conditions' is directly and compositionally derived from 'arid' (very dry, minimal rainfall) plus 'climate' (typical weather patterns). This adjective + noun combination follows standard semantic composition and is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily understand it.
Etymology
Arid climate gives a clear picture: the word arid means 'dry' and climate means the usual weather, so you can imagine land baked by the sun with cracked soil and only a few tough plants. That's why the phrase describes a place with 'very little rain' and few plants.