This center , formed of indefinite molecules , began to revolve around its own axis during its gradual condensation ; then , following the immutable laws of mechanics , in proportion as its bulk diminished by condensation , its rotary motion became accelerated , and these two effects continuing , the result was the formation of one principal star , ...
famine - a severe shortage of food (as through crop failure) resulting in violent hunger and starvation and death. calamity, catastrophe, tragedy, disaster, cataclysm - an event resulting in great loss and misfortune; the whole city was affected by the irremediable calamity; the earthquake was a disaster.
According to The Cultural Dictionary: Cultural Dictionary. the winter of our discontent definition. A phrase from the historical play King Richard the Third, by William Shakespeare; it describes a civil war in England. Note : ' The winter of our discontent' has come to suggest disaffection in general.imilar description of the expression embedded in context is also available here. There is also another meaning of the phrase above, used in our times and referring to the social unrest.