xeric / mesic / hydric
Sep. 22nd, 2009 07:26 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
prettygoodwordI was going to do this as a doublet, but it turns out to be a triplet:
xeric - adj., of, pertaining to, or adapted to a dry environment.
mesic - adj., of, pertaining to, or adapted to a moist environment.
hydric - adj., of, pertaining to, or adapted to an abundantly wet environment.
I live in a xeric climate, so know that one very well but have trouble remembering the others. Xeric is pronounced ZER-ik, mesic as MES-ik or MEZ-ik, hydric as HEYE-drik, and all were coined in 1926, I'm guessing by the same ecologist, from Greek xērós meaning dry, mésos meaning middle, and hydros meaning water. The idea being that mesic has a balanced amount of moisture, or something like that.
---L.
xeric - adj., of, pertaining to, or adapted to a dry environment.
mesic - adj., of, pertaining to, or adapted to a moist environment.
hydric - adj., of, pertaining to, or adapted to an abundantly wet environment.
I live in a xeric climate, so know that one very well but have trouble remembering the others. Xeric is pronounced ZER-ik, mesic as MES-ik or MEZ-ik, hydric as HEYE-drik, and all were coined in 1926, I'm guessing by the same ecologist, from Greek xērós meaning dry, mésos meaning middle, and hydros meaning water. The idea being that mesic has a balanced amount of moisture, or something like that.
---L.
