Unproductiveness or sterility of the earth; hence, dearth, scarcity, famine.

Unproductiveness of the earth.

Deficiency in some good constituent; thinness, scantiness, insufficiency; unproductiveness; leanness or lack of vigour due to undernourishment.

The quality or condition of being infertile; unfruitfulness, unproductiveness, barrenness.

The condition or quality of being lean; thinness; meagreness; poverty (of land); barrenness; etc.

Niggardliness, stinginess. Of soil: infertility. Obsolete.

The fact or quality of being unproductive; lack of productivity. Cf. unproductivity, n.

Chiefly English regional. Earth which is infertile or of poor quality, as that which contains a high proportion of stones, clay, sand, gravel, etc.

Lack or absence of productivity.