semiarid

American  

[sem-ee-ar-id, sem-ahy-] / ˌsɛm iˈær ɪd, ˌsɛm aɪ- /

adjective

1. 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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semiarid British  

/ ˌsɛmɪˈærɪd /

adjective

1. characterized by scanty rainfall and scrubby vegetation, often occurring in continental interiors

   the semiarid regions of Australia

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semiarid Scientific  

/ sĕm′ē-ăr′ĭd /

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

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Other Word Forms

• semiaridity noun

Etymology

Origin of semiarid

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

Example Sentences

He said the military needed to reassert how its longstanding strategy can foster stability throughout the Sahel, the semiarid region south of the Sahara Desert.

From Seattle Times • May 30, 2024

The city of 3 million sits in the semiarid plains of central India, where summer temperatures can reach nearly 49°C.

From Science Magazine • Sep. 27, 2023

Not so in Africa, especially in the Sahel, the vast, semiarid region south of the Sahara where groups linked to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State are gaining ground at an alarming pace.

From New York Times • Aug. 16, 2023

More traditional seminomadic peoples from the sparsely settled semiarid grasslands and mountains to the north of China’s borders, such as the Khitan Liao and the Xia, seized control of many former Tang domains.

From Textbooks • Apr. 19, 2023

From the Pueblo communities of the Southwest, travelers took roads eastward onto the semiarid plains along tributaries of the Pecos River.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz