dry (drī)

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[Middle English drie, from Old English drȳge.]

adjective: dri·er (drī́ər) or dry·er, dri·est (drī́ĭst) or dry·est 

1. Free from liquid or moisture: changed to dry clothes.
2. Having or characterized by little or no rain: a dry climate.
3. Marked by the absence of natural or normal moisture: a dry month.
4. Not under water: dry land.
5. Having all the water or liquid drained away, evaporated, or exhausted: a dry river.
6. No longer yielding liquid, especially milk: a dry cow.
7. Lacking a mucous or watery discharge: a dry cough.
8. Not shedding tears: dry sobs.
9. Needing or desiring drink; thirsty: a dry mouth.
10. No longer wet: The paint is dry.
11. Of or relating to solid rather than liquid substances or commodities: dry weight.
12. Not sweet as a result of the decomposition of sugar during fermentation. Used of wines.
13. Having a large proportion of strong liquor to other ingredients: a dry martini.
14. Eaten or served without butter, gravy, or other garnish: dry toast; dry meat.
15. Having no adornment or coloration; plain: the dry facts.
16. Devoid of bias or personal concern: presented a dry critique.
17. 1. Lacking tenderness, warmth, or involvement; severe: The actor gave a dry reading of the lines.
    2. Matter-of-fact or indifferent in manner: rattled off the facts in a dry mechanical tone.
18. Wearisome; dull: a dry lecture filled with trivial details.
19. Humorous or sarcastic in a shrewd, impersonal way: dry wit.
20. Prohibiting or opposed to the sale or consumption of alcoholic beverages: a dry county.
21. Unproductive of the expected results: a mind dry of new ideas.
22. Constructed without mortar or cement: dry masonry.

verb: dried (drīd), dry·ing, dries (drīz) 

transitive verb 

1. To remove the moisture from; make dry: laundry dried by the sun.
2. To preserve (meat or other foods, for example) by extracting the moisture.

intransitive verb 

To become dry: The sheets dried quickly in the sun.

noun: pl., drys. 

A prohibitionist.

phrasal verbs

dry out

To undergo a cure for alcoholism.

dry up

To make or become unproductive, especially to do so gradually.

Informal To stop talking.

derivatives

drýly

adverb

drýness

noun

synonyms:

dry, dehydrate, desiccate, parch These verbs mean to remove the moisture from: drying the dishes; added water to eggs that were dehydrated; a factory where coconut meat is shredded and desiccated; land parched by the sun.

See also: sour

Antonym: moisten