famine
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famine
An extreme and long-lasting shortage of food in a region, leading to malnutrition, disease, and death on a large scale.
Die Dürre führte in mehreren afrikanischen Ländern zu einer katastrophalen Hungersnot.
The drought led to a catastrophic famine in several African countries.
The word is made up of 'Hunger' (hunger) and 'Not' (distress/emergency). So it literally describes an emergency situation caused by extreme and widespread hunger.
Die Zerstörung der Ernte führte zu einer schrecklichen Hungersnot.
The destruction of the harvest led to a terrible famine.
Common verbs in this context are 'ausbrechen' (to break out) or 'herrschen' (to prevail/exist) when a famine begins or continues. People 'leiden unter' (suffer from) a famine, and organizations try to 'bekämpfen' (fight/combat) it.
In der betroffenen Region herrscht seit Monaten eine Hungersnot.
A famine has existed in the affected region for months.
'Hungersnot' (famine) is a strong and rather formal word. It is used mainly in news reports, historical texts, and official reports to describe an extreme shortage situation.
Der Bericht dokumentiert die Ursachen der Hungersnot von 1921.
The report documents the causes of the famine of 1921.
hunger
'der Hunger' and 'die Hungersnot' can both describe a serious situation in which many people do not have enough to eat. In this sense, they are very similar. 'Hungersnot' is more precise, however: it refers to an extreme and long-lasting shortage of food in a region. 'Hunger' can also be more general and can also mean the feeling of an individual person. When talking about a disaster in a country or region, 'Hungersnot' is usually more precise. 'Hunger' fits when the context is already clear or when you are speaking more generally.
Nach der Erntekrise breitete sich in der Region eine schwere Hungersnot aus.
After the harvest crisis, a severe famine spread through the region.
Wegen der langen Dürre leiden viele Familien unter Hunger.
Because of the long drought, many families are suffering from hunger.