parched

American  

[pahrcht] / pɑrtʃt /

adjective

1. extremely or completely dried, as by heat, sun, or wind.

   Dry shrubs cover parts of this parched valley in the South Hebron Hills.

2. very thirsty.

   After each shift in the ship’s engine room, I was dead tired and totally parched, needing large amounts of water.

3. (of peas, beans, grains, etc.) slightly toasted or roasted.

   The village folk customarily have one meal a day of parched grains, so there is always a crowd around the old widow’s oven.

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verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of parch.

Other Word Forms

• parchedly adverb
• parchedness noun
• unparched adjective

Etymology

Origin of parched

parch ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Now those former hay fields sit dry, with weeds poking through the parched soil.

From Los Angeles Times

It had been about six decades since downtown was this parched.

From Los Angeles Times

That’s not just from the recent storms — early-season rains tend to soak into the parched ground — but also because California is building on three prior wet winters, state climatologist Michael Anderson said.

From Los Angeles Times

As part of the water-saving efforts, farmers in California’s Imperial Valley are temporarily leaving some hay fields parched and fallow in exchange for cash payments.

From Los Angeles Times

It has endured millennia of drought and war in this parched land scarred by conflict.

From Barron's

Related Words

• arid
• scorched
• thirsty
• withered