xer-, xero-, xir-

1. Someone who has an abnormal fear of dryness or of dryplaces; such as, deserts where one may fear not getting enough water to survive.
2. The inability of a plant or animal to survive in dry places.

1. An abnormal fear of dryness or of dry places: Deserts are one example why people have a xerophobia because they might have a horror of not getting enough water to survive!

In biology, a xerophobia is an aversion to arid habitats by animals, or an inability of certain plants to survive in such moistureless locations.

2. The inhibition of salivary flow resulting in a dry mouth: Such xerophobias are caused by emotional conditions, such as fear, anger, or excessive excitement.

A reference to plants and animals that have an intolerance for dry conditions.

Dry voice which may be caused by pancreatic dysfunction as in diabetes mellitus.

1. Abnormal and severe dryness of the surface of the cornea and conjunctiva (mucous membrane that lines the inner surface of the eyelid and the exposed surface of the eyeball), which may occur in pemphigus (acute or chronic skin diseases characterized by groups of itching blisters), vitamin A deficiency, or certain autoimmune syndromes.
2. A dry and thickened condition of the conjunctiva, sometimes following chronic conjunctivitis, disease of the lacrimal apparatus, or vitamin-A deficiency.

1. A plant living in a dry habitat, typically showing xeromorphic or succulent adaptations and able to tolerate long periods of drought.
2. A plant that is adapted to an arid or dry environment.

A xerophilous plant and a plant that is structurally adapted for growth with a limited water supply.

The term is generally applied not only to actual desert plants, but also to those inhabiting salt marshes or alkaline soil or bogs, where water absorption is slow or difficult because of the excess of salts or acids in solution.

Xerophytes exhibit many modifications of structure which limit transpiration (breathing), because of a thickened epidermis, waxy or resinous coatings, dense pubescence, copious aqueous tissue, etc.

Many xerophytes have developed specialized tissues (usually nonphotosynthetic parenchyma cells) for storing water, as in the stems of cacti and the leaves of succulents. Others have thin, narrow leaves, or even spines, for minimizing water loss.

Xerophyte leaves often have abundant stomata to maximize gas exchange during periods in which water is available, and the stomata are recessed in depressions, which are covered with fine hairs to help trap moisture in the air.

A plant known as pelargonium xerophyton (desert geranium) which has very small fleshy leaves and pink flowers; requires very little water.

Plants that thrive in heaths or tracts of uncultivated, open land with infertile, often sandy soil covered with rough grasses.

Thriving in heathland.

A heath plant.

Heath plants grow in tracts of uncultivated, open land with infertile, often sandy soil covered with rough grasses and small bushes or heather; a low-growing Eurasian shrub (Calluna vulgaris) growing in dense masses and having small evergreen leaves and clusters of small, bell-shaped pinkish-purple flowers.

A rapid method of recording a roentgen image by a dry process.

A powdered surface of an electrically charged selenium plate records the roentgen image.

1. A temporary community in an ecological succession on dry, sterile ground; such as, rock, sand, or clay.
2. An ecological succession commencing on a dry-rock surface.

A radiographic image of the salivary ducts in which the images are recorded by X-ray photography which uses an electrically charged metal plate instead of film: Xerosialography is a dry and totally photoelectric process for recording images.

1. Abnormal dryness of a tissue, as of the skin, eye, or mucous membranes.
2. The abnormal dryness of the skin, mucous membranes, or conjunctiva.

Pathologic dryness and keratinization of the cornea.