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.

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What does “barren” mean?
a cylindrical wooden container with slightly bulging sides.
Worn down by dullness, tedious repetition.
unproductive; unfruitful
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Origin of scant

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

OTHER WORDS FROM scant

scantly, adverbscantness, noun

Words nearby scant

scanning line, scanning probe microscope, scanning tunneling microscope, scansion, scansorial, scant, scantling, scantlings, scanty, Scanzoni's maneuver, Scapa Flow
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to scant

paltry, slight, scanty, sparse, insufficient, mere, skimpy, short, spare, skimp, bare, thin, scrimp, wanting, barren, deficient, exiguous, flimsy, inappreciable, inconsiderable

Example sentences from the Web for scant

British Dictionary definitions for scant

scant
/ (skænt) /

adjective

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

verb (tr)

adverb

scarcely; barely

Derived forms of scant

scantly, adverbscantness, noun

Word Origin for scant

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