You searched for: “dearth
dearth, death
dearth (DURTH) (noun)
A scarce supply; a lack of, not having enough of something: The dearth of uncensored, firsthand information about the war is a concern of many leaders.

There is a dearth of food in many parts of the world.

death (DETH) (noun)
The act of dying; the termination of life: Conrad's sudden death at such a young age was very disturbing to his parents.

Elsa worked for the newspaper until her death at the age of 75.

When Percy worked for a newspaper, he often noticed a dearth of death notices on certain days of the week.

Word Entries at Get Words: “dearth
dearth (s) (noun), dearths (pl)
1. A scarcity of something; such as, new ideas, job skills, financial aid, or food: During these financially hard times, there is a dearth of new jobs even for college graduates.
2. Lacking a sufficient supply; for example, of food that results in a famine: There is a growing dearth of rice in Asia.
3. An acute scarcity, shortage, paucity, deficiency, or an insufficient amount: There is a dearth of skilled workers in the area; especially, because there is a dearth of sufficient funds to pay them.

Since there is such a dearth of evidence, the court can't convict the accused person of the crime.

4. Etymology: from about 1250, derthe, "scarcity", abstract noun formed from the root of Old English deore, "precious, costly, dear".

Originally the sense of the Middle English word was used with reference to famine, when food was scarce and costly; but the word was extended to the meaning of "scarcity of anything" from about 1330.

Scarcity or an inadequate supply.
© ALL rights are reserved.

Lacking sufficient funds.
© ALL rights are reserved.

Go to this Word A Day Revisited Index
so you can see more of Mickey Bach's cartoons.

This entry is located in the following unit: English Words in Action, Group D (page 1)
An inadequate supply or a scarcity of something. (2)