comparative form of dry: having comparatively little moisture
This towel is much dryer than before.
The summer here is dryer than last year.
✦ The comparative suffix '-er' added to 'dry'; this pattern dates back to Old English.
a small, handheld electric device that blows hot air to dry and style hair
Turn on the hair dryer after shampooing.
The dryer makes my hair fluffy.
✦ From 'dry' + '-er'; popularized in the mid-20th century with the rise of home hair styling.
an electric appliance that dries wet laundry by tumbling it in hot air
Load the wet laundry into the dryer and press start.
The dryer stopped after one hour.
✦ Formed in the early 1900s by adding the agent suffix '-er' to the verb 'dry', referring to a machine that performs the action of drying.
an electrical device that blows hot air to dry and style the hair
After her shower, Emma grabbed the hairdryer to style her hair.
The hotel bathroom provided a hairdryer for guests.
✦ Formed in the 1920s as a compound of 'hair' + 'dryer', coinciding with the invention of portable electric hot-air hair drying devices.
After her shower, Emma grabbed the hair dryer to style her hair.
The hotel bathroom provided a hair dryer for guests.
