Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Dearth \Dearth\, n. [OE. derthe, fr. dere. See {Dear}.]
   Scarcity which renders dear; want; lack; specifically, lack
   of food on account of failure of crops; famine.

         There came a dearth over all the land of Egypt. --Acts
                                                  vii. 11.

         He with her press'd, she faint with dearth. --Shak.

         Dearth of plot, and narrowness of imagination.
                                                  --Dryden.

Source : WordNet®

dearth
     n 1: an acute insufficiency [syn: {famine}, {shortage}]
     2: an insufficient quantity or number [syn: {paucity}]