ˈfamə̇n noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French, from (assumed) Vulgar Latin famina, from Latin fames hunger — more at daze
1. : a severe food shortage : a period of extreme scarcity of food
six seasons of dearth approaching famine — Samuel Van Valkenburg & Ellsworth Huntington
2. archaic : lack of food : extreme hunger : starvation
horses … recovered from past famine and fatigue — Washington Irving
3. archaic : a ravenous appetite
death grinned … to hear his famine should be filled — John Milton
4. : a great scarcity or shortage of something
a famine of television sets — Irwin Edman