semiarid

[ sem-ee-ar-id, sem-ahy- ]

/ ˌsɛm iˈær ɪd, ˌsɛm aɪ- /

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adjective (of a region, land, etc.)

characterized by very little annual rainfall, usually from 10 to 20 inches (25 to 50 centimeters): the struggle to raise vegetables in semiarid regions.

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Origin of semiarid

An Americanism dating back to 1895–1900; semi- + arid

OTHER WORDS FROM semiarid

sem·i·a·rid·ity

[sem-ee-uh-rid-i-tee, sem-ahy-], /ˌsɛm i əˈrɪd ɪ ti, ˌsɛm aɪ-/, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use semiarid in a sentence

Here they are semi-touching at a grocery store; she likes kombucha.
All Your Internet Boyfriends Are Taken: Gosling, Cumberbatch, and now Joseph Gordon-Levitt|Melissa Leon|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Brinsley stepped up to the passenger side of the patrol car, raised a silver Taurus semi-automatic pistol and began firing.
'Please Don't Die!': The Frantic Battle to Save Murdered Cops|Michael Daly|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Tiger Lily and her tribe, however, were outfitted in semi-realistic outfits (read: nearly naked).
‘Peter Pan Live!’ Review: No Amount of Clapping Brings It to Life|Kevin Fallon|December 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For the next hour and half I was the willing sex slave of a semi-professional Master I had met through a friend.
Whip It: Secrets of a Dominatrix|Justin Jones|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST

After curing the elderly of their semi-suicidal depression, winning the White House must seem like a snap.
Ben Carson’s Bizarrely Serious, Seriously Bizarre Campaign Crew|Olivia Nuzzi|November 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Our troops have done all that flesh and blood can do against semi-permanent works, and they are not able to carry them.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
Death, to do him justice, he had met with none of the cowardice he had vaunted, and consistently with his arid cynical soul.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
The stop-keys will be seen arranged in an inclined semi-circle overhanging and just above the keyboards.
The Recent Revolution in Organ Building|George Laing Miller
There are four types: bituminous (soft), anthracite (hard), semi-bituminous and semi-anthracite.
Hallowed Heritage: The Life of Virginia|Dorothy M. Torpey
The broad river was left behind; they set their course toward the arid mountains of Libya.
Bella Donna|Robert Hichens

British Dictionary definitions for semiarid

semiarid

/ (ˌsɛmɪˈærɪd) /

adjective

characterized by scanty rainfall and scrubby vegetation, often occurring in continental interiorsthe semiarid regions of Australia

Derived forms of semiarid

semiaridity, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for semiarid

semiarid

[ sĕm′ē-ăr′ĭd ]

Having low precipitation but able to support grassland and scrubby vegetation. Steppes have semiarid climates.