Stiff, even, drying wind (5)
I believe the answer is:
rigid
'stiff' is the definition.
(I know that stiff can be written as rigid)
'even drying wind' is the wordplay.
'even' indicates alternate letters (letters in even-numbered positions are used).
'drying'+'wind'='dryingwind'
The alternate letters of 'dryingwind' are 'RIGID'.
(Other definitions for rigid that I've seen before include "Not flexible" , "Stiff, unyielding" , "Incapable of or resistant to bending" , "Stiff, unbending" , "Uncompromising" .)