drought

Definition

A period of unusually low rainfall, longer and more severe than a dry spell.

Etymology

From Middle English droughte, droghte, drouȝte, from Old English drūgaþ. Cognate with Dutch droogte, Low German Dröögde. By surface analysis, dry + -t (abstract nominal suffix).

Example Sentences

• "His village had faced a drought twice."
• "The weather looked like drought―a thoroughly wicked drought; if the rain did not come before long, their crops would be burnt up."
• "Phoenix and Lubbock are both caught in severe drought, and it is going to get much worse. We may see many such [dust] storms in the decades ahead, along with species extinctions, radical disturbance of ecosystems, and intensified social conflict over land and water. Welcome to the Anthropocene, the epoch when humans have become a major geological and climatic force."