Quick Definition
a famine, hunger
Strong's Definition
a scarcity of food
Derivation: probably from G3007 (λείπω) (through the idea of destitution);
KJV Usage: dearth, famine, hunger
Thayer's Greek Lexicon
λιμός, λιμοῦ, ὁ (and ἡ in Doric and later writings; so L T Tr WH in Luk_15:14; Act_11:28; so, too, in Isa_8:21; 1Ki_18:2; cf. Lob. ad Phryn., p. 188; (Liddell and Scott, under the word at the beginning; WHs Appendix, p. 157a); Buttmann, 12 (11); Winers Grammar, 63 (62) (cf. 36), and 526 (490)); the Sept. very often for ψΘςΘα; hunger: Luk_15:17; Rom_8:35; ἐν λιμῷ καί δίψει, 2Co_11:21; Xenophon, mem. 1, 4, 13; equivalent to scarcity of harvest, famine: Luk_4:25; Luk_15:14; Act_7:11; Act_11:28 (cf. Buttmann, 81 (71)); Rev_6:8; Rev_18:8; λιμοί, famines in divers lands, Mar_13:8; λιμοί καί λοιμοί, Mat_24:7 (L T Tr text WH omit καί λοιμοί); Luk_21:11; Theophilus ad Autol. 2, 9; the two are joined in the singular in Hesiod, Works, 226; Herodotus 7, 171; Philo, vit. Moys. i. § 19; Plutarch, de Isa. et Osir. 47.
Mounce Concise Greek Dictionary
λιμός limos 12x
famine, scarcity of food, want of grain, Mat_24:7 ;
famine, hunger, famishment, Luk_15:17 ; Rom_8:35 famine; hunger.
Abbott-Smith Greek Lexicon
λιμός , -οῦ , ὁ
(so in Att. .; in Dor . ἡ , and so sometimes in LXX , v. Th ., Gr ., 146; in NT: Luk_15:14 , Act_11:28 ; cf. M , Pr., 60),
[in LXX chiefly for H7458 ;]
hunger, famine: Luk_4:25 ; Luk_15:14 ; Luk_15:17 , Act_7:11 ( LXX ) Act_11:28 , Rom_8:35 , Rev_6:8 ; Rev_18:8 ; λ . καὶ δίψος , 2Co_11:27 ; pl ., Mat_24:7 , Mar_13:8 , Luk_21:11 .†
Moulton & Milligan — Vocabulary of the Greek NT
λιμός [page 376]
The wavering of gender which is found in the NT (ὁ Luk_4:25 : ἡ Luk_15:14 , Act_11:28 ) meets us again in the papyri P Par 22 .21 (B.C. 165) τῷ λιμῷ διαλυθῆναι , but in a document of the same collection ib. 26 i. 9 (B.C. 163 2) ὑπὸ τῆς λιμοῦ διαλυόμεναι . Cf. also ib. 28 .18 (B.C. 160) where, instead of the simple dat., we have διαλυόμεναι ἐν τῷ λιμῷ . Other exx. are P Petr III. 36 ( a ) verso .29 (Ptol.) ἀξιῶ σε δεόμενος μή με ἀπολέσηι τῶι λιμῶι ἐν τῆι φυλακῆι , I entreat you with prayers not to let me perish of hunger in prison (Edd.), and P Oxy VI. 902 .9 ( c. A.D. 465) ἐκ τούτου συνέβη τὸ ὑπόλοιπον τῶν ἐμῶν ζῴων τῇ λιμῷ τεθνάναι , in consequence of which the remainder of my kine have died of hunger (Edd.) : see also Crφnert, p. 177. The use of the fem. is generally traced to Doric influence : cf. Lob. Phryn. p. 188 τὴν λιμὸν Δωριεῖς , σὺ δὲ ἀρσενικῶς τὸν λιμὸν φάθι , Rutherford NP , p. 274, Thumb Hellen. p. 67. The older Attic masc. is usual in the LXX, cf. Thackeray Gr. i. p. 146.
For the conjunction λοιμοὶ καὶ λιμοί in Luk_21:11 Boll Offenbarung , P. 131, compares Catal. viii. 3, 186, 1 λιμὸς καὶ λοιμὸς καὶ σφαγαὶ κατὰ τόπους : see also Test. xii. patr. Jud. xxiii. 3, Orac. Sib. viii. 175. The two words are cognate, being connected with the Homeric λοιγός and the Lat. letum.
Liddell-Scott — Intermediate Greek Lexicon
λιμός λι_μός, οῦ, "hunger, famine", Hom. , etc.:— proverb., ἀπολεῖτε λιμῷ Μηλίῳ, referring to the siege of Melos, Ar. :—metaph., of the mind, Eur.
STEPBible — Tyndale Abridged Greek Lexicon
λιμός, -οῦ, ὁ
(so in Att..; in Dor. ἡ, and so sometimes in LXX, see Th., Gr., 146; in NT: Luk.15:14, Act.11:28; cf. M, Pr., 60), [in LXX chiefly for רָעָב ;]
hunger, famine: Luk.4:25 15:14, 17, Act.7:11" (LXX) Act.11:28, Rom.8:35, Rev.6:8 18:8; λ. καὶ δίψος, 2Co.11:27; pl., Mat.24:7, Mrk.13:8, Luk.21:11.†
(AS)