Scant

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /skænt/

Definitions

1. Barely sufficient in amount or quantity, or to provide something grudgingly or in limited measure
2. Limited in quantity or degree, being insufficient or barely adequate for a particular need or requirement
3. Only offering a small amount or measure, often less than what is necessary or expected

Etymology: The most surprising thing about "scant" is that its core idea is shortness, and it started out as a word about something being cut short. Its ancestor reaches back to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "mutilated" or "hornless," which the Germanic languages narrowed to "short." Old Norse "skammr" meant "short," and its neuter form "skamt" was borrowed into Middle English as "scant," which still carried that sense of falling short of a full length or measure. From there the meaning shifted from length to quantity. Something that is short of what it should be is in short supply, and so "scant" came to mean barely enough. The adjective gave rise to a verb, "scanten," meaning to cut short or limit, and to a noun and adverb that follow the same pattern of meaning.

Synonyms: meager, sparse, insufficient, limited, scanty

Antonyms: ample, sufficient, plentiful, abundant, generous