xerophilous

[zi-rof-uh-luhs]

adjective

1. Botany.,  growing in or adapted to dry, especially dry and hot, regions.

2. Zoology.,  living or flourishing in a dry environment.

xerophilous

/ ˈzɪərəʊˌfaɪl, zɪˈrɒfɪləs /

adjective

1. (of plants or animals) adapted for growing or living in dry surroundings

Other Word Forms

• xerophile noun
• xerophily noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of xerophilous¹

First recorded in 1860–65; xero- + -philous

Example Sentences

Experimental induction of the breeding season in a xerophilous bird.

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Still the flora outside the Hills and the submontane tract is predominantly of the desert type, being xerophilous or drought-resisting.

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Xerophilous: applied to species living in dry places.

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In this connexion it is noteworthy that so many of the higher forms are adapted as bulbous geophytes, or as aerophytes to special xerophilous conditions.

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