noun

famine

famine, starvation, scarcity

The country suffered a terrible famine.

The country suffered a terrible famine.

There is a famine of new ideas in the company.

There is a famine of new ideas in the company.

((a)) famine means an extreme scarcity of food A severe famine affected the region.

((a)) famine ((of sth.)) means a lack of something There is a famine of new ideas.

Synonyms: starvation, scarcity, want; Antonyms: feast, abundance, plenty

From Old French 'famine', from Latin 'fames' (hunger).

It sounds a bit like 'family in', as in a family in trouble due to lack of food.

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