extreme scarcity of food
饥荒
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drought could result in famine throughout the region 干旱可能导致整个地区出现饥荒
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[count noun]
the famine of 1921—1922 .1921—1922年的那场饥荒。
 
[count noun]a shortage
匮乏,短缺
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the cotton famine of the 1860s .19世纪60年代的棉花短缺。
 
〈古〉 饥饿。
"late Middle English: from Old French, from 


