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Famine vs Feast - What's the difference?

famine | feast |

As a proper noun famine

is the personification of famine, often depicted riding a black horse.

As a noun feast is

a very large meal, often of a ceremonial nature.

As a verb feast is

to partake in a , or large meal.

famine

English

Noun

(wikipedia famine)
  • (uncountable) extreme shortage of food in a region
  • * 1971 , Central Institute of Research & Training in Public Cooperation
    • Dr. Bhatia pointed out that famine had occurred in all ages and in all societies where means of communication and transport were not developed.
  • (countable) a period of extreme shortage of food in a region
  • * 1986 , United States Congress, House Select Committee on Hunger, Committee on Foreign Affairs, Subcommittee on Africa, Famine and Recovery in Africa
    • The root causes of the current famine are known: poverty, low health standards....

    feast

    English

    Etymology 1

    From (etyl) feest, feste, fest, from (etyl) feste, from (etyl) festa, plural of .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A very large meal, often of a ceremonial nature.
    • We had a feast to celebrate the harvest.
  • Something delightful
    • It was a feast for the eyes.
  • A festival; a holiday; a solemn, or more commonly, a joyous, anniversary.
  • * Bible, Exodus xiii. 6
    • The seventh day shall be a feast to the Lord.
  • * Bible, Luke ii. 41
    • Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover.
    Synonyms
    * banquet
    Derived terms
    * (l) * (l) * (l) * (l)

    Etymology 2

    From (etyl) feesten, festen, from (etyl) fester, from , from the noun. See above.

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To partake in a , or large meal.
    • I feasted on turkey and dumplings.
  • To dwell upon (something) with delight.
  • * Shakespeare
    • With my love's picture then my eye doth feast .
  • To hold a in honor of (someone).
    • We feasted them after the victory.
  • To serve as a feast for; to feed sumptuously.
  • * Bishop Joseph Hall
    • Or once a week, perhaps, for novelty / Reez'd bacon-soords shall feast his family.
    Derived terms
    * feaster * feast one’s eyes

    Anagrams

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