Xero- Greek prefix
Phyte- Greek word for grow or grown, with a plant connotation

Refers usually to any type of plant that has waxy, thick leaf epidermis, and recessed, hairy stoma on the bottoms of its leaves. These are both mechanisms for water retention.

These characteristics are typical of xerophytes, but are not a definition. The term is used to refer to any plant that is adapted for life in an arid, arctic or desert climate.