drought

nounattested in dialogue

United States//ˈdɹaʊ̯t//
//ˈdɹɐʊ̯t//
//ˈdɹɜʊ̯t//
//ˈdɹʌʊ̯t//

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

noun

1
A period of unusually low rainfall, longer and more severe than a dry spell.
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.
2
informalA longer than expected term without success, particularly in sport.
Sri Lanka ended their ten-game drought with a consolation win over Bangladesh.
Kane had been going through something of a drought by his own standards. His previous England goal came 500 days ago, in a Euro 2020 qualifier against Kosovo, and his header in Tirana ended a run of 496 minutes without scoring.
3
archaicdryness, aridness, dry heat
Thus I was; in the day the drought consumed me, and the frost by night; and my sleep departed from mine eyes.
The consequences are, that a few days of severe drought, in the early parts of summer, or even when the grain is ripening, is sometimes fatal to the crop on moss.
The seasons most unfavourable to the crop are those of excessive drought or excessive rain.

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).

Forms

plural: droughts

drop · A small quantity of liquid, just large enough to hold its own…dropped · allowed to drop or fall.dropping · Something dropped; a droplet.

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

Drought · A surname.drove · A cattle drive, or a drive of another livestock animal (e.g.…drown · To die from suffocation while immersed in water or other…

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