Meagerest

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Lacking in quantity or quality to a noticeable degree
2. representing the smallest or least amount possible in terms of nourishment or substance
3. minimally sufficient to meet basic needs or requirements

Etymology: "Meagerest" is the superlative of "meager", so the story belongs to the base word. Its root is Latin "macer", meaning thin or lean, which reached English through Old French "maigre" and Middle English "megre". The word's sense of lean or thin is the literal one, and the figurative sense of scant or insufficient developed from it. The same Indo-European root gave Old English "mæġer", meaning lean, and modern German "mager" and Dutch "mager" keep the sense of thinness alive. Scandinavian languages have "magur" and "mager" as well, so the family is spread across much of northern Europe, even though the English form arrived by a French route. English actually has two forms from the same Latin root: "meager" through Old French and the native-looking Old English "mæġer", which is why the word's spelling and sound can seem a little unexpected for a Latin-derived term.

Synonyms: poorest, scantiest, least

Antonyms: richest, abundant