fam ‧ ine /ˈfæmən, ˈfæmɪn/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable and countable]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: French ; Origin: Latin fames 'hungry condition' ]
a situation in which a large number of people have little or no food for a long time and many people die:
the great potato famine in Ireland
severe/widespread famine
Widespread famine had triggered a number of violent protests.
A million people are facing famine.
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THESAURUS
■ natural disasters
▪ earthquake a sudden shaking of the earth’s surface that often causes a lot of damage:
A powerful earthquake struck the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.
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It was the biggest earthquake to hit the Pacific Northwest for 52 years.
▪ flood a very large amount of water that covers an area that is usually dry:
Bangladesh has been hit by a series of devastating floods (=very bad floods) .
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The crisis began with floods that covered one third of the countryside.
▪ drought a long period of dry weather when there is not enough water for plants and animals to live:
The country experienced its worst drought this century.
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In East Africa, three years of drought have left 10 million people in urgent need of food and water.
▪ famine a situation in which a large number of people have little or no food for a long time and many people die:
Poor harvests led to famine.
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4,000,000 people are threatened by famine in northern Ethiopia.
▪ hurricane a storm that has very strong fast winds and that moves over water – used about storms in the North Atlantic Ocean:
extreme weather such as hurricanes
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Hurricane Andrew left southern Florida in ruins.
▪ typhoon a violent tropical storm – used about storms in the Western Pacific Ocean:
A typhoon has hit the Philippines, lifting roofs off houses and uprooting trees.
▪ tsunami a very large wave, caused by extreme conditions such as an earthquake, which can cause a lot of damage when it reaches land:
Thousands of people were killed in the tsunami.
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Many Pacific earthquakes have generated tsunamis.