paucity

[ paw-si-tee ]

/ ˈpɔ sɪ ti /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR paucity ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

smallness of quantity; scarcity; scantiness: a country with a paucity of resources.

smallness or insufficiency of number; fewness.

Nearby words

paua, paucal, paucibacillary, paucis verbis, paucisynaptic, paucity, paul, paul bunyan, paul i, paul ii, paul iii

Origin of paucity

1375–1425; late Middle English paucite < Latin paucitās fewness, derivative of paucus few; see -ity

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for paucity

Part of that lies in the paucity of documentation of what the Vikings actually did during their raids.
How the Vikings Saved Europe and Got a Terrible Reputation|William O’Connor|September 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Moreover, the long moratorium has resulted in a paucity of qualified experts to research firearm injuries.
Pediatricians Take on the NRA Over Gun Safety|Brandy Zadrozny|May 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Poor health care, a paucity of jobs, and a sense of instability is now taking its toll.
One Year Later, Libya’s Long Road Continues|Jamie Dettmer|October 22, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The paucity of women in STEM is not just a problem for New York.
Twitter Invests in Young Women with ‘Girls Who Code’|Allison Yarrow|June 26, 2012|DAILY BEAST

A former studio chief agrees that the paucity of stars under 30 is a serious problem for the studios.
Is He Sabotaging His Career?|Kim Masters|March 9, 2010|DAILY BEAST
It serves to emphasize, however, the paucity of cases among infants in this great land of endemic adult scurvy.
Scurvy Past and Present|Alfred Fabian Hess
It is difficult to form a conception of her character because of the paucity of information about her.
The Life of Ludwig van Beethoven, Volume I (of 3)|Alexander Wheelock Thayer
He, nevertheless, was not disconcerted by the paucity of information.
Monte-Cristo's Daughter|Edmund Flagg
"Amiens has no outline," says he; meaning that there is a paucity of the picturesqueness of irregularity in its sky-line.
The Cathedrals and Churches of the Rhine|Francis Miltoun
But the population had to have cheap bread, and attention had to be given the paucity of the supply.
The Iron Ration|George Abel Schreiner

British Dictionary definitions for paucity

paucity

/ (ˈpɔːsɪtɪ) /

noun

smallness of quantity; insufficiency; dearth

smallness of number; fewness

Word Origin for paucity

C15: from Latin paucitās scarcity, from paucus few

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012