famine

Etymology

Borrowed from French famine.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfæmɪn/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -æmɪn
• Hyphenation: fam‧ine

Noun

famine (countable and uncountable, plural famines)

1. (uncountable) extreme shortage of food in a region
   • 1971, Central Institute of Research & Training in Public Cooperation

     Dr. Bhatia pointed out that famine had occurred in all ages and in all societies where means of communication and transport were not developed.

2. (countable) a period of extreme shortage of food in a region
   • 1986, United States Congress, House Select Committee on Hunger, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on Africa, Famine and Recovery in Africa

     The root causes of the current famine are known: poverty, low health standards....

3. (dated) starvation or malnutrition
   • 1871 (orig. 426), Augustine, The City of God, transl. Marcus Dods:

     His own flesh, however, which he lost by famine, shall be restored to him by Him who can recover even what has evaporated.

4. severe shortage or lack of something
   • the Lancashire Cotton Famine

Anagrams

• imafen, infame

Etymology

From a root of Latin famēs (“hunger”) with the suffix *-ine.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fa.min/

Noun

famine f (plural famines)

1. famine

Further reading

• “famine” in le Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

Anagrams

• infâme

Etymology

From Latin famēs (“hunger”).

Noun

famine f (oblique plural famines, nominative singular famine, nominative plural famines)

1. famine