Dictionary

famine en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Southern-England) audio
• /ˈfæm.ɪn/ (UK)
• /ˈfæm.ɪn/ (Australia)
• /ˈfæm.ən/ (Canada, US)

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French famine, itself from the root of Latin fames.

Meanings

1. (uncountable) 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 bread by fire, to create a chemical and maddening poison, burning up the brain and brutalizing the soul, and producing evils to humanity, in comparison of which, war, pestilence, and famine, cease to be evils. 1831 July 15, “Of the Blood”, in Western Journal of Health, volume 4, number 1, L. B. Lincoln, page 38:
   • Dr. Bhatia pointed out that famine had occurred in all ages and in all societies where means of communication and transport were not developed. 1971, Central Institute of Research & Training in Public Cooperation:
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. (countable, dated, uncountable) 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. 1871 (orig. 426), Augustine, The City of God, transl. Marcus Dods
4. (countable, uncountable) Severe shortage or lack of something.
   • the Lancashire Cotton Famine

Forms

Deriveds

nuclear famine · prefamine · famine or feast · famineless · famine bread · feast or famine · postfamine · famine food · faminelike · famine fever · antifamine · time famine · famine resistant · faminee · famine weed

Translations (159)

bg глад (a period of extreme shortage of food in a region) · io famino (extreme shortage of food in a region) · tr kıtlık (a period of extreme shortage of food in a region) · gl gatuza (extreme shortage of food in a region) · et näljahäda (extreme shortage of food in a region) · th ข้าวยากหมากแพง (extreme shortage of food in a region) · sh glad (extreme shortage of food in a region) · de Hunger (a period of extreme shortage of food in a region) · got 𐌷𐌿𐌷𐍂𐌿𐍃 (extreme shortage of food in a region) · pdt Hungaschnoot (extreme shortage of food in a region) · lt badas (extreme shortage of food in a region) · gu દુષ્કાળ (extreme shortage of food in a region) · mk глад (extreme shortage of food in a region) · ro foamete (a period of extreme shortage of food in a region) · hy սով (extreme shortage of food in a region) · ks درٛاگ (extreme shortage of food in a region) · mi tau tukuroa (a period of extreme shortage of food in a region) · cmn 饑荒 /饥荒 (extreme shortage of food in a region) · hu éhínség (extreme shortage of food in a region) · mi tau nihoroa (a period of extreme shortage of food in a region) · hi अकाल (extreme shortage of food in a region) · vi nạn đói (extreme shortage of food in a region) · mn өлсгөлөн (extreme shortage of food in a region) · es fiaca (extreme shortage of food in a region) · sk hladomor (a period of extreme shortage of food in a region) · ssy culul (extreme shortage of food in a region) · mfe lafaminn (extreme shortage of food in a region) · ka შიმშილობა (extreme shortage of food in a region) · dsb głod (a period of extreme shortage of food in a region) · es hambruna (extreme shortage of food in a region) · lt badmetis (extreme shortage of food in a region) · tr yokluk (extreme shortage of food in a region) · aa qulul (extreme shortage of food in a region) · ang hungor (a period of extreme shortage of food in a region) · tr darlık (extreme shortage of food in a region) · ta பஞ்சம் (extreme shortage of food in a region) · cs hladomor (extreme shortage of food in a region) · dsb głod (extreme shortage of food in a region) · fa قحطی (extreme shortage of food in a region) · grc λιμός (a period of extreme shortage of food in a region) · kk ашаршылық (extreme shortage of food in a region) · ru го́лод (a period of extreme shortage of food in a region) · fi nälänhätä (extreme shortage of food in a region) · mi matekaitanga (a period of extreme shortage of food in a region) · nn hungersnød (extreme shortage of food in a region) · msk gutum (extreme shortage of food in a region) · kea fómi (a period of extreme shortage of food in a region) · tl taggutom (extreme shortage of food in a region) · hsb hłód (extreme shortage of food in a region) · bg глад (extreme shortage of food in a region) · cop ϩⲕⲟ (extreme shortage of food in a region) · nb hungersnød (extreme shortage of food in a region) · hi अकाल (a period of extreme shortage of food in a region) · gd gort (extreme shortage of food in a region) · oc famina (extreme shortage of food in a region) · ga gorta (a period of extreme shortage of food in a region) · gl garula (extreme shortage of food in a region) · cs hlad (a period of extreme shortage of food in a region) · fi nälänhätä (a period of extreme shortage of food in a region) · gl lambrina (extreme shortage of food in a region) · ru го́лод (extreme shortage of food in a region) · cs hladomor (a period of extreme shortage of food in a region) · da hungersnød (extreme shortage of food in a region) · nv hodichin (extreme shortage of food in a region) · el λιμός (extreme shortage of food in a region) · ba аслыҡ (extreme shortage of food in a region) · lzh-lit 饑饉 (a period of extreme shortage of food in a region) · gl langrina (extreme shortage of food in a region) · kmr xela (extreme shortage of food in a region) · ga gorta (extreme shortage of food in a region) · nl hongersnood (extreme shortage of food in a region) · sv svält (a period of extreme shortage of food in a region) · sl lakota (extreme shortage of food in a region) · ko 기아 (extreme shortage of food in a region) · uk го́лод (extreme shortage of food in a region) · ml പട്ടിണി (extreme shortage of food in a region) · hy սով (a period of extreme shortage of food in a region) · tr açlık (extreme shortage of food in a region) · fa گرسنگی (extreme shortage of food in a region) · ro foamete (extreme shortage of food in a region) · be го́лад (extreme shortage of food in a region) · pdt Hungaschnoot (a period of extreme shortage of food in a region) · az aclıq (extreme shortage of food in a region) · el πείνα (extreme shortage of food in a region) · sk hladomor (extreme shortage of food in a region) · it carestia (extreme shortage of food in a region) · yi הונגער (extreme shortage of food in a region) · fr disette (extreme shortage of food in a region) · pt fome (extreme shortage of food in a region) · bo མུ་གེ (extreme shortage of food in a region) · cs hlad (extreme shortage of food in a region) · is hungursneyð (extreme shortage of food in a region) · grc λιμός (extreme shortage of food in a region) · pl głód (extreme shortage of food in a region) · tl taggutom (a period of extreme shortage of food in a region) · ur اکال (extreme shortage of food in a region) · kk аштық (extreme shortage of food in a region) · ny njala (extreme shortage of food in a region) · tr kıtlık (extreme shortage of food in a region) · sv hungersnöd (extreme shortage of food in a region) · cmn 饑荒 /饥荒 (a period of extreme shortage of food in a region) · eo malsatego (extreme shortage of food in a region) · sh глад (extreme shortage of food in a region) · es hambre (extreme shortage of food in a region) · he רָעָב (extreme shortage of food in a region) · be го́лад (a period of extreme shortage of food in a region) · mi matekaitanga (extreme shortage of food in a region) · es fame (disused) (extreme shortage of food in a region) · de Hunger (extreme shortage of food in a region) · uk голодомо́р (a period of extreme shortage of food in a region) · eu gosete (extreme shortage of food in a region) · lt alkis (extreme shortage of food in a region) · cy newyn (extreme shortage of food in a region) · th ทุพภิกขภัย (extreme shortage of food in a region) · my အငတ်ဘေး (extreme shortage of food in a region) · kea fómi (extreme shortage of food in a region) · af hongersnood (extreme shortage of food in a region) · la famēs (extreme shortage of food in a region) · got 𐌷𐌿𐌷𐍂𐌿𐍃 (a period of extreme shortage of food in a region) · gl gambrina (extreme shortage of food in a region) · lv bads (extreme shortage of food in a region) · gl laceira (extreme shortage of food in a region) · mrw kanggotma (extreme shortage of food in a region) · pt fome (a period of extreme shortage of food in a region) · fy breakrapte (extreme shortage of food in a region) · de Hungersnot (extreme shortage of food in a region) · uk го́лод (a period of extreme shortage of food in a region) · es fambre (disused) (extreme shortage of food in a region) · pl klęska głodu (extreme shortage of food in a region) · ja 飢饉 (extreme shortage of food in a region) · chr ᎠᎪᎾ (extreme shortage of food in a region) · nv dichin (extreme shortage of food in a region) · nn hungersnaud (extreme shortage of food in a region) · fr famine (extreme shortage of food in a region) · ain ケㇺ (extreme shortage of food in a region) · sk hlad (a period of extreme shortage of food in a region) · de Hungersnot (a period of extreme shortage of food in a region) · cy newyn (a period of extreme shortage of food in a region) · tg гуруснагӣ (extreme shortage of food in a region) · ang hungor (extreme shortage of food in a region) · fr famine (a period of extreme shortage of food in a region) · kne bitil (a period of extreme shortage of food in a region) · tt ачлык (extreme shortage of food in a region) · pl głód (a period of extreme shortage of food in a region) · my ဒုဗ္ဘိက္ခန္တရကပ် (a period of extreme shortage of food in a region) · fy hongersneed (extreme shortage of food in a region) · tr açlık (a period of extreme shortage of food in a region) · ky ачтык (extreme shortage of food in a region) · it carestia (a period of extreme shortage of food in a region) · kne bitil (extreme shortage of food in a region) · pl klęska głodu (a period of extreme shortage of food in a region) · km ទុរ្ភិក្ស (extreme shortage of food in a region) · rup foamitã (extreme shortage of food in a region) · ba йот (extreme shortage of food in a region) · ka შიმშილი (extreme shortage of food in a region) · ar مَجَاعَة (extreme shortage of food in a region) · cu гладъ (extreme shortage of food in a region) · ko 기근 (extreme shortage of food in a region) · sk hlad (extreme shortage of food in a region)