famine
UK[ˈfæmɪn]US[ˈfæmɪn]
n
A very serious lack of food for a large number of people, causing illness and death.
n
A severe shortage of something.
Morpheme Breakdown
fam
ine
fam
hunger
ine
noun suffix
Etymology
The word 'famine' entered English in the late 14th century from Old French famin, which itself descended from Latin fames, meaning 'hunger' or 'starvation'. The Latin root is traced back to the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) root dʰH-, meaning 'to disappear, perish, die', which also gave rise to words like 'faint'. The semantic journey is direct: from the ancient concept of perishing or wasting away to the specific, severe condition of widespread hunger. The suffix '-ine' was adopted from the French form to create a noun denoting the state or condition of extreme hunger.
Analysis
Structure: fam (hunger) + ine (noun suffix)
'fam' originates from Latin fames, meaning 'hunger'. 'ine' is a noun-forming suffix of Latin origin.
Examples
The prolonged drought led to a devastating famine in the region.
There is a famine of new ideas in the current political discourse.
Charities worked tirelessly to provide aid to the victims of the famine.