Scantness

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The condition of having too little of something available, so that supply falls short of what is needed
2. A shortage or insufficiency in quantity, where there is only a meagre portion of what would be expected
3. Being sparse or limited in extent, with barely enough present to meet a need or fill a space

Etymology: Scantness is a plain formation: the adjective "scant" with the suffix "-ness," which turns an adjective into a noun for the quality it describes. "Scant" itself came into English from Old Norse "skamt," meaning "short" or "scarce," and it kept that sense of something falling short of what is needed. Adding "-ness" gives the noun sense of the state of being scant, that is, the condition of being in short supply or lacking in amount. The suffix has a long lineage of its own. "-ness" descends from Old English "-nes," a noun-forming ending that has been productive in English since the earliest period, which is why it attaches so readily to native and borrowed adjectives alike. Scantness therefore follows the same pattern as words like "kindness" or "thinness," built from a base that has been in the language for centuries.

Synonyms: scarcity, paucity, sparseness, meagerness, dearth

Antonyms: abundance, plenty, plethora