| 1. starvation, great hunger; severe food shortage. faminefamine , n. [f. famine, fr. l. fames hunger; cf. gr. want, need, skr. hāni loss, lack, hā to leave.] general scarcity of food; dearth; a want of provisions; destitution. worn with famine. there was a famine in the land. xxvi. 1.famine fever (med.), typhus fever.famine a severe shortage (especially a shortage of food) [syn: dearth, shortage]famine the first mentioned in scripture was so grievous as to compel abraham to go down to the land of egypt (gen. 26:1). another is mentioned as having occurred in the days of isaac, causing him to go to gerar (gen. 26:1, 17). but the most remarkable of all was that which arose in egypt in the days of joseph, which lasted for seven years (gen. 41-45). famines were sent as an effect of god's anger against a guilty people (2 kings 8:1, 2; amos 8:11; deut. 28:22-42; 2 sam. 21:1; 2 kings 6:25-28; 25:3; jer. 14:15; 19:9; 42:17, etc.). a famine was predicted by agabus (acts 11:28). josephus makes mention of the famine which occurred a.d |
