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Where does the word dearth come from?
Dearth has, in one form or another, been used to refer to scarcity since at least the 13th century, when it often referred specifically to the plague of famine (as in “a time of dearth”), whether brought on by an insidious crop disease or by invaders. The word traces back to the Old English adjective dēore, meaning “dear” (dēore is also the ancestor of dear, which also once meant “scarce,” though that sense is now obsolete). That notion of dearness or importance endures in dearth, which implies the absence or scarcity of not just any old thing, but of something one wants or needs. A dearth of mauls, for example, would be the bane of a woodcutter’s existence.
Examples of dearth in a Sentence
Julie Bosman, New York Times, 19 Oct. 2006
… Earnhardt has recently hinted that a company-wide dearth of talent is the core reason his Chevy simply isn't as fast in 2005 as it's been in the past.
—Lars Anderson, Sports Illustrated, 11 Apr. 2006
AirNet, which hauls bank checks and other time-critical freight, used to require that its pilots have at least 1,200 hours of flight experience. Then, faced with a dearth of experienced applicants, it dropped the requirement to 500 hours. Now, it has no minimum.
—Scott McCartney, Wall Street Journal, 10 Aug. 2000
there was a dearth of usable firewood at the campsite
the dearth of salesclerks at the shoe store annoyed us
Ruben Vives, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2025
Park restrooms being closed or unusable contributes to Seattle's dearth of public bathrooms, making life more difficult for commuters, joggers, people experiencing homelessness and others.
—Melissa Santos, Axios, 6 Feb. 2025
In a market overwhelmingly dominated by U.S. fare (usually above 80%), last year’s dearth of Hollywood titles inevitably hurt the theatrical market of the smallest Nordic nation, which dropped 5.8% in box office to ISK 1.6 billion ($11.4 million), and 9.8% in admissions to 904,809.
—Annika Pham, Variety, 1 Feb. 2025
The dig-out, so common in the nation's northern tier, was underway in earnest from Texas to Florida while challenged by a dearth of plows.
—John Bacon, USA TODAY, 22 Jan. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Dearth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dearth. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
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