Where does “famine” come from?

Famine comes from Middle French famine, meaning an extreme scarcity of food.

famine (English): Extreme shortage of food in a region; A period of...

Definitions

  1. Extreme shortage of food in a region; A period of...

Ancestry of “famine”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Frenchfamine—
2Latinfamēshunger
3Proto-Indo-EuropeandʰH-to disappear

Words derived from “famine”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European dʰH- →Every word from Latin famēs →Every word from Middle French famine →