scant

[ skant ]
/ skænt /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR scant ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective, scant·er, scant·est.

verb (used with object)

adverb

Scot. and North England Dialect. scarcely; barely; hardly.

Origin of scant

1325–75; Middle English (adj.) < Old Norse skamt, neuter of skammr short

OTHER WORDS FROM scant

scant·ly, adverb scant·ness, noun

Words nearby scant

scanning line, scanning probe microscope, scanning tunneling microscope, scansion, scansorial, scant, scantling, scantlings, scanty, scanzoni's maneuver, scapa flow

Words related to scantness

scarcity, lack, defect, dearth, deficiency, shortcoming, want, inadequacy, deficit, weakness, paucity, failure, insufficiency, curtailment, shortfall, pinch, lapse, scantiness, poverty, leanness

Example sentences from the Web for scantness

  • Wasn't there a good deal of talk about the scantness of some of the ladies' dresses?

    Poor Relations |Compton Mackenzie

  • Then immediately, through the scantness of the apartment, he heard the outer bell resound.

    The Pace That Kills |Edgar Saltus

  • This was the quelling they brought, a scantness of drink that seized him.

    The Harvard Classics, Volume 49, Epic and Saga |Various

  • Her satin dress was a mere sheath, so conspicuous by its severity and scantness that every one in the dining-room stared.

    Song of the Lark |Willa Cather

British Dictionary definitions for scantness

scant
/ (skænt) /

adjective

scarcely sufficient; limited he paid her scant attention
(prenominal) slightly short of the amount indicated; bare a scant ten inches
(postpositive foll by of) having a short supply (of)

verb (tr)

adverb

scarcely; barely

Derived forms of scant

scantly, adverb scantness, noun

Word Origin for scant

C14: from Old Norse skamt, from skammr /short; related to Old High German scam