exiguous

American  

[ig-zig-yoo-uhs, ik-sig-] / ɪgˈzɪg yu əs, ɪkˈsɪg- /

adjective

1. scanty; meager; small; slender.

   exiguous income.

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exiguous British  

/ ˌɛksɪˈɡjuːɪtɪ, ɪkˈsɪɡ-, ɪɡˈzɪɡjʊəs /

adjective

1. scanty or slender; meagre

   an exiguous income

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Other Word Forms

• exiguity
  noun
• exiguously
  adverb
• exiguousness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of exiguous

First recorded in 1645–55; from Latin exiguus “scanty in measure or number, small,” equivalent to exig(ere) “to drive out, measure, exact” + -uus adjective suffix; see origin at exigent, -ous ( def. )

Explanation

If I had more than an exiguous amount of space here, I'd be able to tell you more about the fact that exiguous means a tiny amount. Exiguous is one of those words that comes in handy when you're really trying to draw attention to the fact that there's very little of something. Otherwise you could just say "tiny," "small," "niggling," or even "scanty." Without more than the exiguous scraps of information currently available, there's simply no way to know who left the offending pile in the hallway, let alone when. If you expect more than just exiguous payment in return, you're going to have to do more than an exiguous amount of work.