famine
[fam-in]
- extreme and general scarcity of food, as in a country or a large geographical area.
- any extreme and general scarcity.
- extreme hunger; starvation.
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Origin of famine
Synonyms
See more synonyms for famine on Thesaurus.com2. dearth, paucity, poverty, meagerness, scantness.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for famine
Contemporary Examples
She recalls that during the famine her father illegally sold gold and silver.
How ‘Titanic ’Helped This Brave Young Woman Escape North Korea’s Totalitarian StateLizzie Crocker
October 31, 2014
“These people were coming here from tragic situations of war and famine in search of a better life,” he told The Daily Beast.
Famine and frigid temperatures ensued, and roughly 10 percent of the population died.
At other times, North Korea might want aid economic and food concessions, especially during periods of hardship and famine.
Famine will stalk the land and as many as seven million people will confront extreme food insecurity—in short, starvation.
Historical Examples
That morning a rumor had reached the village of a famine in the island of Crete.
Ancient ManHendrik Willem van Loon
That was in case of an enemy or a famine when the people might be tempted to eat it.
The Trail BookMary Austin
I could have pronounced him, alone, to be a young man aged by famine and sickness.
The Uncommercial TravellerCharles Dickens
This is the usual result of feast after famine, and was to be expected.
The Long Labrador TrailDillon Wallace
In the worst pinches of the famine he stole back to the fires of the gods.
White FangJack London
famine
- a severe shortage of food, as through crop failure or overpopulation
- acute shortage of anything
- violent hunger
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Word Origin
C14: from Old French, via Vulgar Latin, from Latin famēs hunger
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for famine
n.
mid-14c., from Old French famine "hunger" (12c.), from Vulgar Latin *famina, from Latin fames "hunger, starvation, famine," of unknown origin.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with famine
famine
see feast or famine.
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The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.