# dry

> English word · Adjective · IPA /dɹaɪ/ · frequency rank #1,857

## Definitions
1. Free from or lacking moisture.
2. Unable to produce a liquid, as water, (petrochemistry) oil, or (agriculture) milk.
3. Built without or lacking mortar.
4. Anhydrous: free from or lacking water in any state, regardless of the presence of other liquids.
5. Athirst, eager.
6. Free from or lacking alcohol or alcoholic beverages.
7. Describing an area where sales of alcoholic or strong alcoholic beverages are banned.
8. Free from or lacking embellishment or sweetness, particularly
9. Free from or lacking embellishment or sweetness
10. Free from or lacking embellishment or sweetness
11. Free from or lacking embellishment or sweetness
12. Free from or lacking embellishment or sweetness
13. Free from or lacking embellishment or sweetness
14. Not using afterburners or water injection for increased thrust.
15. Involving computations rather than work with biological or chemical matter.
16. Free from applied audio effects (especially reverb).
17. Without a usual complement or consummation; impotent.
18. Without a usual complement or consummation; impotent.
19. In a dry spell (e.g., unemployed, slow).
20. Of a mass, service, or rite: involving neither consecration nor communion.
21. Mixed with sauce and not served in a soup.

## Etymology
Adjective and noun from Middle English drye, dryge, drüȝe, from Old English drȳġe (“dry; parched, withered”), from Proto-West Germanic *drūgī, *draugī, from Proto-Germanic *drūgiz, *draugiz (“dry, hard”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰerǵʰ- (“to strengthen; become hard”), from *dʰer- (“to hold, support”). The verb derives from Middle English drien, from Old English drȳġan (“to dry”), from Proto-West Germanic *drūgijan, from Proto-Germanic *drūgiz (“hard, desiccated, dry”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰerǵʰ- (“strong, hard, solid”).
cognates and related terms
 Cognate with Scots dry, drey (“dry”), North Frisian drüg, driig, Saterland Frisian druuch (“dry”), West Frisian droech (“dry”), Dutch droog (“dry”), Low German dröög (“dry”), German dröge (“dull”), Icelandic draugur (“a dry log”). Related also to German trocken (“dry”), West Frisian drege (“long-lasting”), Danish drøj (“tough”), Swedish dryg (“lasting, hard”), Icelandic drjúgur (“ample, long”), Latin firmus (“strong, firm, stable, durable”). See also drought, drain, dree.

## Easily confused with
- **DS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dry-vs-ds)
- **DT** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dry-vs-dt)
- **dw** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dry-vs-dw)
- **Dx** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dry-vs-dx)
- **DV** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dry-vs-dv)
- **dy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dry-vs-dy)
- **due** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dry-vs-due)
- **DVD** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dry-vs-dvd)
- **duo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dry-vs-duo)
- **dug** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dry-vs-dug)
- **dye** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dry-vs-dye)
- **dub** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dry-vs-dub)
- **duh** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dry-vs-duh)
- **DUI** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dry-vs-dui)
- **dun** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dry-vs-dun)
- **dum** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dry-vs-dum)
- **DSM** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dry-vs-dsm)
- **dup** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dry-vs-dup)
- **dud** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dry-vs-dud)
- **DSP** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/dry-vs-dsp)

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/dry