semidesert

noun

semi·​des·​ert ˌse-mē-ˈde-zərt How to pronounce semidesert (audio)
ˌse-ˌmī-,
-mi-
: an arid area that has some of the characteristics of a desert but has greater annual precipitation

Examples of semidesert in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
At the valley’s southernmost tip, which is surrounded by a shrub-steppe semidesert and is one of Canada’s hottest spots, conditions are ideal for reds such as syrahs and merlots. Washington Post, 24 Nov. 2021 The largest scientific structure ever powers up in Africa Towering above an ancient seabed in the Karoo—a remote semidesert in South Africa—is a seven-story dish antenna that will soon begin scanning the universe for its deepest secrets. Alex Baker-Whitcomb, Wired, 17 Dec. 2019 This dish antenna rises seven stories above an ancient seabed in the Karoo, a remote semidesert in South Africa. Laura Mallonee, Wired, 17 Dec. 2019 At the very least, the monsoonal flow gives Los Angeles a sticky, tropical feel, making a dry semidesert uncharacteristically muggy. Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2019 Within days, the deaths of the four American soldiers in the remote West African semidesert had veered into the incendiary issue of race relations in the United States. Thomas Gibbons-Neff, Helene Cooper and Eric Schmitt, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2018

Word History

First Known Use

1845, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of semidesert was in 1845

Dictionary Entries Near semidesert

Cite this Entry

“Semidesert.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/semidesert. Accessed 19 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on semidesert

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!