Drought Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com

Where does drought come from?

The first records of the word drought in English come from before 1000. It comes from the Old English word drūgath, which is related to the Dutch droogte, meaning “dryness.” The English word dry shares a root with drought.

Droughts can last months and even years. That doesn’t mean there’s no rain at all during that time, but it does mean that there’s a lot less than there usually is. (Most deserts have very low levels of rainfall, but we wouldn’t say they’re experiencing a drought.) Droughts have several negative consequences. First, they create a shortage of water for drinking and for growing crops, which can cause the crops to fail and lead to famine. The excessively dry conditions caused by droughts can also add to the risk of wildfires, which can start more easily and burn more rapidly, using all of the dried plants as their fuel.

When used figuratively, drought refers to a long period without something, as in You complain about not getting a second date but I haven’t had a first date in months—I’m in a real drought. 

The term dry spell can be used as a synonym for both the literal and figurative sense of drought (though, in the literal sense, a dry spell isn’t usually as serious or as long as a drought).