drought
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drought
A longer period with very little or no rain, leading to extreme dryness and water shortages.
Die langanhaltende Dürre hat zu großen Ernteausfällen in der Landwirtschaft geführt.
The prolonged drought has led to major crop failures in agriculture.
'Die Dürre' (drought) is derived directly from the adjective 'dürr' (very dry or thin). This connection helps you immediately understand the main meaning of the word.
Die Pflanzen sind wegen der Hitze ganz dürr geworden.
The plants have become completely dried out because of the heat.
In connection with weather, 'Dürre' (drought) is often combined with certain expressions. These include 'eine lange Dürre' (a long drought), 'extreme Dürre' (extreme drought), or 'von der Dürre betroffen sein' (to be affected by the drought).
Viele Regionen in Afrika leiden unter extremer Dürre.
Many regions in Africa are suffering from extreme drought.
You can recognize the figurative meaning from words from the fields of creativity and intellect. If you read 'Dürre' (drought) together with 'kreativ' (creative), 'geistig' (intellectual/mental), or 'Ideen' (ideas), it refers to a lack of inspiration.
Nach einer langen kreativen Dürre hatte der Künstler endlich wieder eine neue Idee.
After a long creative drought, the artist finally had a new idea again.
dryness
'die Dürre' and 'die Trockenheit' can both describe a period with too little rain and water. However, 'Dürre' sounds stronger and usually refers to a longer, serious situation, for example in agriculture or in a region. 'Trockenheit' is more general: it can also simply mean that something is not moist, for example skin, air, or soil. Learners may confuse the words because they seem similar when talking about weather and climate. When it is about a serious rain crisis, 'Dürre' fits better; when it is about the state of lacking moisture, 'Trockenheit' is more natural.
Wegen der langen Dürre konnten viele Bauern kaum etwas ernten.
Because of the long drought, many farmers could hardly harvest anything.
Im Winter leide ich oft unter Trockenheit der Haut.
In winter, I often suffer from dry skin.