# dryer

Pronunciation: US say "DRY-ur" /ˈdɹaɪɚ/; UK say "DRY-uh" /ˈdɹaɪə/

## Noun

1. Short for clothes dryer. — Short for clothes dryer, tumble dryer
   - Simple: Short for clothes dryer. It's the machine that dries wet clothes.
   - _She tossed the damp sheets into the dryer before dinner._
   - _Our building's basement has a coin-operated dryer next to the washer._
2. A person or thing that dries; any device or material used to remove water or humidity, such as a desiccant.
   - Simple: A person or thing that removes water or moisture from something.
   - _The industrial dryer removed nearly all the moisture from the freshly milled lumber._
   - _Silica gel packets act as dryers, soaking up humidity inside sealed boxes._
4. A catalyst that promotes the drying of paints and varnishes through oxidative crosslinking.
   - Simple: A substance added to paint or varnish to help it dry and harden faster.
   - _The restorer stirred a few drops of dryer into the linseed-based paint._
   - _Too much dryer can make a varnish film brittle and prone to cracking._

## Adjective

3. Comparative of dry. *(US)* — comparative form of dry: more dry
   - Simple: Comparative of dry. The spelling drier is more common.
   - _The second batch of cookies came out dryer than the first._
   - _Inland regions are noticeably dryer than the humid shoreline._

## Noun

5. Short for hair dryer. *(rare)* — Short for hair dryer
   - Simple: Short for hair dryer. It blows warm air to dry your hair.
   - _After her shower, she reached for the dryer to fix her curls._
   - _The stylist used a powerful dryer to smooth every client's hair._

## Origin

**Meanings 1–2, 4–5** — From Middle English driere, dreyere ("one who dries"), formed from "dry" plus the agent-noun suffix "-er".
**Meaning 3** — Formed from "dry" plus the comparative suffix "-er".

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/dryer (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).