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.
The Great Famine in Ireland has been compared to the Holodomor (hunger plague) which took place in the Ukraine under Stalin in 1932. Like Ireland, the Ukraine is a fertile region, and the 1932 famine has been the subject of similar controversy and debate.