famine
/ˈfæmɪn/noun
mass noun
1- extreme scarcity of food饥荒：
drought could result in famine throughout the region
干旱可能导致整个地区出现饥荒
count noun the famine of 1921-1922.1921-1922年的那场饥荒。
1.1
- count noun a shortage匮乏, 短缺：
the cotton famine of the 1860s.
19世纪60年代的棉花短缺。
1.2
- archaic hunger〈古〉饥饿。
词源
late Middle English: from Old French, from faim 'hunger', from Latin fames.