What does the word dearth mean?

Usage examples for dearth

  1. Since the dearth came We rattle one on another as though we were Knives thrown into a basket to be cleaned. – Poems by W. B. Yeats
  2. A flattering glass to gaze upon, A busy jest, a serious toy, A flower still budding, never blown, A scanty dearth in fullest store Yielding least fruit where most is sown. – Lyrics from the Song-Books of the Elizabethan Age by Various
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