Aridified

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. Having been made dry and barren over time, with the moisture and fertility of the land drained away
2. Turned into a dry, parched condition by the gradual loss of water from soil or environment
3. Rendered desert-like and lacking moisture, as when a region dries out and becomes unproductive

Etymology: "Aridified" is the past tense and past participle of "aridify," a verb built from "arid," which English borrowed from Latin "aridus," meaning dry or parched, a word rooted in "arere," to be dry. The suffix "-ify" comes from Latin "-ificare," a verb-forming element meaning "to make" or "to cause to become," which entered English through Old French "-ifier." Put together, "aridify" means to make something arid, and "aridified" is the form describing a place or thing that has been made dry. The construction is straightforward. English has many verbs of this shape, such as "beautify," "purify," and "solidify," where "-ify" attaches to an adjective to mean "make into that quality." "Aridify" follows the same pattern, so the word needs no special explanation beyond its two parts.

Synonyms: dried, desiccated, parched

Antonyms: moistened, watered