dearth
English
/dɜːθ/, /dɝθ/
noun
Definitions
- A period or condition when food is rare and hence expensive; famine.
- (by extension) Scarcity; a lack or short supply.
- (obsolete) Dearness; the quality of being rare or costly.
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English derth inherited from Old English *dīerþ inherited from *diuriþu inherited from Proto-Germanic *diuriþō (honour, preciousness, costliness) suf from English dear.
Origin
English
dear
Gloss
Timeline
Distribution of cognates by language
Geogrpahic distribution of cognates
Cognates and derived terms
- bedear English
- darling English
- dear English
- dearest English
- dearheart English
- dearie English
- dearish English
- dearling English
- dearly English
- dearness English
- dearsome English
- dearthful English
- dearworth English
- deary English
- endear English
- overdear English
- undear English
- duur Dutch, Flemish
- duurte Dutch, Flemish
- *diuriþō Proto-Germanic
- *dēorþ Old English
- *dīerþ Old English
- dere Middle English
- derth Middle English
- dýrð Old Norse
- dýrð Icelandic
- duurte Middle Dutch
- *diuriþu gmw-pro
- *diuritha Old Dutch
- diuri Old Saxon
- diuritha Old Saxon