dearth

C2+ Topic:Abstract Ideas

US /dɝθ/ UK /dɜːθ/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like dirt /θ/ vs /t/

Meanings

1

noun
a scarcity or lack of something

There was a dearth of fresh water during the drought.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a scarcity or lack of... scarcity shortage lack paucity deficiency want insufficiency famine

Opposites

abundance plenty surplus glut profusion

Word family

Related forms dear

Etymology

From Middle English derth, from Old English *dīerþu ('costliness, scarcity'), an abstract noun from dēore ('dear, costly') plus the suffix -þ. The notion is that scarce things become dear (expensive).

dēore Old English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Abstract Ideas

External links

# dearth

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /dɝθ/
**IPA (UK):** /dɜːθ/

## Meanings
1. a scarcity or lack of something

## Examples
- There was a dearth of fresh water during the drought.

## Synonyms
- scarcity
- shortage
- lack
- paucity
- deficiency
- want
- insufficiency
- famine

## Antonyms
- abundance
- plenty
- surplus
- glut
- profusion

## Related Forms
- dear

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: dēore

## Etymology
From Middle English derth, from Old English *dīerþu ('costliness, scarcity'), an abstract noun from dēore ('dear, costly') plus the suffix -þ. The notion is that scarce things become dear (expensive).

## AI Etymology
Dearth is from Middle English derth, from Old English *dīerþu ('costliness, scarcity'), an abstract noun from dēore ('dear, costly') plus the suffix -þ. The notion is that scarce things become dear (expensive). Important recorded forms include dēore (Old English). Morphologically, the word is a built form whose named elements carry part of the historical sense. The current sense covers a scarcity or lack of something. The wider family includes related words such as dear.

## Topics
- Abstract Ideas

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