a severe shortage of food (as through crop failure) resulting in violent hunger and starvation and death
"The ancient kingdom crumbled under the weight of famine, as years of drought turned once-fertile fields to dust and left thousands dying from starvation."
Extreme shortage of food in a region.
"The severe famine that struck the valley left thousands without enough to eat for months."
The personification of famine, often depicted riding a black horse.
"As I read through the medieval manuscript, I was struck by how vividly the author described Death and Famine, where the latter appeared as a skeletal figure mounted on a dark horse to lead people into despair."
The word famine comes from Middle French, which borrowed it from the Latin root fames meaning hunger or starvation. It is related to the Spanish word hambruna, which also means famine.