In order to clearly establish the meaning of the term arid, we have to begin by establishing what its etymological origin is. In this case, we can say that it is a word that derives from the Latin, exactly from “aridus”. This Latin word, which means “dry”, is the result of the sum of the verb “arere”, which is equivalent to “being burned” or “dry”, and the suffix “-idus”.
According to DigoPaul, the term arid is an adjective that qualifies that which is little humid and barren. The arid is very dry and, therefore, it tends to be infertile.
For example: “There is little vegetation in this area since the soil is arid”, “What an arid landscape! It must be a long time since it rains for these payments ”, “ We have to adapt to the arid climate if we want to produce in this place ”.
The absence of humidity in the atmosphere and water in the soil are the main characteristics of aridity. This arid climate hinders the development of life, especially plants that need water for their growth.
The deserts are the most representative arid biomes. They may be covered in sand or rocks and generally have little life. The Atacama desert, located in Chile, is considered to be the driest biome in the world.
The arid adjective is also used symbolically to describe something that is harsh or not very fruitful: “It is an arid subject that requires a lot of sensitivity in its treatment”, “The world of politics is arid and even violent: you must be firm and convincing when you state your positions ”, “ To reach the end of the tournament, the team must go through an arid path ”.
Finally, in the construction field, a rocky material composed of grains or particles is called aggregate. The aggregates have a high mechanical resistance and a great stability from the chemical point of view.
In the same way, of this element that is used in the construction field we can highlight other peculiarities such as these:
-It has a granulated form.
-There are three fundamental types of aggregates: recycling, which is obtained from what is rubble and also from the waste that is created in demolitions; the natural one, which is obtained through a deposit; and the artificial one. This last aggregate is the one obtained from undertaking some type of industrial process in question.
-Numerous are the processes in which the use of this type of material is resorted to. However, among the most significant are the creation of breakwaters, of agglomerates for what is asphalt, of concrete, of bases for what are roads…
-In many mines it is possible to extract aggregate. Of course, the one that is obtained in these spaces then requires undergoing a series of procedures in order to get the most out of it. Specifically, they carry out cleaning, crushing and even sorting tasks.