drought
UK[draʊt]US[draʊt]
n
a long period of time when there is little or no rain
n
a prolonged shortage of something
Etymology
the modern english word "drought" evolved from the middle english "drought" or "drouth," which itself came from the old english "drūgaþ," meaning dryness. this old english noun is derived from the adjective "drȳge," meaning dry, which has proto-germanic origins in "draugiz." the key semantic shift occurred as the abstract noun-forming suffix "-þ" (creating state or condition) was added to the root for "dry," solidifying the meaning as "a state of dryness." the spelling was later influenced by analogy with words like "draught," leading to the modern form "drought," which specifically denotes an extended period of dry weather.
Analysis
the word is a simplex form derived from a single old english root.
Examples
the severe drought has devastated this year's harvest.
the region is experiencing its worst drought in a century.
there has been a prolonged drought of new ideas in the industry.