famine
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famine¹
- /ˈfæm.ɪn/ UK
- /ˈfæm.ən/ Canada, US
- /ˈfæm.ɪn/ Australia
Rhymes with -æmɪn
Where it comes from
Borrowed from Middle French famine, itself from the root of Latin fames.
noun famines
- Extreme shortage of food in a region. It was reserved for Christians to torture bread, the staff of life, bread for which children in whole districts wail, bread, the gift of pasture to the poor, bread, for want of which thousands of our fellow beings annually perish by famine; it was reserved for Christians to torture the material of b
- 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....
- Starvation or malnutrition. His own flesh, however, which he lost by famine, shall be restored to him by Him who can recover even what has evaporated.
- Severe shortage or lack of something. the Lancashire Cotton Famine
Famine²
proper noun
-
The personification of famine, often depicted riding a black horse.
Similar: the black rider
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: dearth, shortage, starving, starve, starvation, hunger, stricken, hungry, terror, appetite, fame, scarcity, foodlessness, drought, destitution, inanition
Translations
Every language
noun extreme shortage of food in a region
| Español | hambruna, hambre, fame (disused), fambre (disused), fiaca |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 기아 gia, 기근 gigeun |
| 日本語 | 飢饉 kikin |
| 中文 | 饑荒 /饥荒 jīhuāng |
| हिन्दी | अकाल akāl |
| Português | fome |
| Français | famine, disette |
| Deutsch | Hungersnot, Hunger |
| Italiano | carestia |
| Ελληνικά | λιμός limós, πείνα peína |
| Română | foamete |
| Русский | го́лод gólod |
| Tiếng Việt | nạn đói |
| العربية | مَجَاعَة majāʕa |
| עברית | רָעָב ra'áv |
noun a period of extreme shortage of food in a region
| 中文 | 饑荒 /饥荒 jīhuāng |
|---|---|
| हिन्दी | अकाल akāl |
| Português | fome |
| Français | famine |
| Deutsch | Hungersnot, Hunger |
| Italiano | carestia |
| Română | foamete |
| Русский | го́лод gólod |
name personification of famine
| Русский | Го́лод Gólod |
|---|
Talk about this word "famine." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/famine. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. famine. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/famine "famine." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/famine.Cite this
@misc{famine_2026,
title = {famine},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/famine},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
