dry

dry [drī]

adj.

drier, driest [ME drie < OE dryge, akin to Ger trocken, Du droog < IE * dhereugh-, fast, firm, solid (< base * dher-, to hold out, hold fast > FIRM¹)]

1. not watery; not under water [dry land]

2. having no moisture; not wet or damp

3. not shedding tears

4. lacking rain or water [a dry summer]

5. having lost liquid or moisture; specif.,

a) arid; withered

b) empty of water or other liquid

c) dehydrated

6. needing water or drink; thirsty

7. not yielding milk [a dry cow]

8. without butter, jam, etc. on it [dry toast]

9. solid; not liquid

10. not sweet; unsweetened; sec [dry wine]

11. having no mucous or watery discharge [a dry cough ]

☆ 12. prohibiting or opposed to the manufacture or sale of alcoholic beverages [a dry town]

13. not colored by emotion, prejudice, etc.; plain; matter-of-fact [dry facts]

14. clever and shrewd but ironic or subtle [dry wit]

15. not producing results; unfruitful [a dry interview]

16. boring, dull, or tedious [a dry lecture]

17. harsh; grating: said of a sound

18. Obs. without bleeding [a dry death]

n.

1. Rare dryness or drought

2. Rare dry land pl. drys

☆ 3. Informal a prohibitionist

vt., vi.

dried, drying

to make or become dry

——————

dry out

1. to make or become thoroughly dry

2. Slang to withdraw from addiction to alcohol or a narcotic

——————

dry up

1. to make or become thoroughly dry; parch or wither

2. to make or become unproductive, uncreative, etc.

☆ 3. Slang to stop talking

——————

not dry behind the ears

Informal immature; inexperienced; naive

SYN.- DRY suggests a lack or insufficiency of moisture, in either a favorable or unfavorable sense [a dry climate, a dry riverbed ]; ARID implies an abnormal, intense dryness, esp. with reference to a region or climate, and connotes barrenness or lifelessness [an arid waste ] -ANT. WET, MOIST