A period or condition when food is rare and hence expensive; famine.
Scarcity; a lack or short supply.
(RQ:Shakespeare King Lear)
(quote-book)
{{quote-text|en|year=1855|author=Robert Browning|title=s:Childe Roland to the Dark Tower Came|section=XXV
(quote-journal)
Dearness; the quality of being rare or costly.
To cause or produce a scarcity in something.