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famine - 6 dictionary results
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fam⋅ine

  [fam-in]
Use famine in a Sentence
–noun
1. extreme and general scarcity of food, as in a country or a large geographical area.
2. any extreme and general scarcity.
3. extreme hunger; starvation.
Origin:
1325–75; ME < MF, deriv. of faim hunger (< L famēs); see -ine 2

Synonyms:
2. dearth, paucity, poverty, meagerness, scantness.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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fam·ine   (fām'ĭn)   
n.  
  1. A drastic, wide-reaching food shortage.
  2. A drastic shortage; a dearth.
  3. Severe hunger; starvation.
  4. Archaic Extreme appetite.

[Middle English, from Old French, from faim, hunger, from Latin famēs.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Famine

Fam"ine\, n. [F. famine, fr. L. fames hunger; cf. Gr. ????? want, need, Skr. h[=a]ni loss, lack, h[=a] to leave.] General scarcity of food; dearth; a want of provisions; destitution. "Worn with famine." --Milton.

There was a famine in the land. --Gen. xxvi. 1.

Famine fever (Med.), typhus fever.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : famine
Spanish: hambre, hambruna,
German: die Hungersnot,
Japanese: 飢きん
More Translations »

famine 
1362, from O.Fr. famine "hunger," from L. fames "hunger," of unknown origin.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Famine

The first mentioned in Scripture was so grievous as to compel Abraham to go down to the land of Egypt (Gen. 26:1). Another is mentioned as having occurred in the days of Isaac, causing him to go to Gerar (Gen. 26:1, 17). But the most remarkable of all was that which arose in Egypt in the days of Joseph, which lasted for seven years (Gen. 41-45). Famines were sent as an effect of God's anger against a guilty people (2 Kings 8:1, 2; Amos 8:11; Deut. 28:22-42; 2 Sam. 21:1; 2 Kings 6:25-28; 25:3; Jer. 14:15; 19:9; 42:17, etc.). A famine was predicted by Agabus (Acts 11:28). Josephus makes mention of the famine which occurred A.D. 45. Helena, queen of Adiabene, being at Jerusalem at that time, procured corn from Alexandria and figs from Cyprus for its poor inhabitants.

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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famine

see feast or famine.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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