Definition

Drought (in the agricultural or horticultural sense) occurs when there is inadequate soil moisture to meet the needs of a particular crop at a particular time. Agricultural drought usually occurs after or during meteorological drought but before hydrological drought and can also affect livestock and other dry-land agricultural operations.

Above: Stand of perrenial peanut (Arachis sp.) suffering from drought; note the curling leaves, which idicate a possble problem with water relations.

Etymology. O.E. drugaš, from P.Gmc. *drugothaz; related to drugian "dry up, whither" + -ith Gmc. suffix for forming abstract n. from adj. Drouth was a M.E. variant continued in Scot. and northern Eng. dialect.