xerophilous

American  

[zi-rof-uh-luhs] / zɪˈrɒf ə ləs /

adjective

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

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

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xerophilous British  

/ ˈzɪərəʊˌfaɪl, zɪˈrɒfɪləs /

adjective

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

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Other Word Forms

• xerophile noun
• xerophily noun

Etymology

Origin of xerophilous

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

Example Sentences

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.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 2, Part 1, Slice 1 by Various

Experimental induction of the breeding season in a xerophilous bird.

From The Breeding Birds of Kansas by Johnston, Richard F.

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

From The Panjab, North-West Frontier Province, and Kashmir by Douie, James McCrone, Sir