dearth

[ durth ]
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noun
  1. an inadequate supply; scarcity; lack: There is a dearth of good engineers.

  2. scarcity and dearness of food; famine.

Origin of dearth

1
First recorded in 1200–50, dearth is from the Middle English word derthe.See dear1, -th1

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British Dictionary definitions for dearth

dearth

/ (dɜːθ) /


noun
  1. an inadequate amount, esp of food; scarcity

Origin of dearth

1
C13: derthe, from dēr dear

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012