scant

comparative scanter · superlative scantest

1. Not full, large, or plentiful; scarcely sufficient; scanty; meager.

   a scant allowance of provisions or water; a scant pattern of cloth for a garment

   4 more examples

   His sermon was scant, in all, a quarter of an hour.

   1824, John Watkins, Life of Hugh Latimer

   Another major defect of the current literature dealing with the nomenclature of hybrid forms of English is the scant attention paid to the question of frequency.

   2018, James Lambert, “A multitude of ‘lishes’: The nomenclature of hybridity”, in English World-Wide, page 4

   [Montana Senator Steve] Daines isn’t the only example of right-wing politicians who wish to wield anti-Semitism as a convenient cudgel against their political enemies, with scant if any evidence. But Montana’s vanishingly small Jewish population makes it particularly clear that this strategy has little to do with flesh-and-blood Jews at all.

   2019 July 17, Talia Lavin, “When Non-Jews Wield Anti-Semitism as Political Shield”, in GQ, archived from the original on 13 Mar 2021

   The mainstream media hones in on bad news stories where UK railways are concerned, yet gives scant attention to the many items of good news emerging from the network.

   2021 December 29, Stephen Roberts, “Stories and facts behind railway plaques: Aylesbury (2009)”, in RAIL, number 947, page 61

   Synonyms: sparse, spare, geason

2. Sparing; parsimonious; chary.

   Be somewhat scanter of your maiden presence.

   c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iii]

3. cookingSlightly diminished; just short of the amount described.

   a scant cup of sugar

present singular third person scants · participle present scanting · participle past scanted · past scanted

1. transitiveTo limit in amount or share; to stint.

   to scant someone in provisions; to scant ourselves in the use of necessaries

   3 more examples

   Scant not my cups.

   c. 1606–1607 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Anthonie and Cleopatra”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene ii]

   where man hath a great living laid together and where he is scanted

   1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Building”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC

   I am scanted in the pleasure of dwelling on your actions.

   1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Building”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC

2. intransitiveTo fail, or become less; to scantle.

   The wind scants.

1. Very little, very few.

   (as pronoun) The failure of this project has scant to do with me.

   3 more examples

   After his previous escapades, Mary had scant reason to believe John.

   The summer I answered my first personals, I was a 19-year-old dyke living alone in a three-room bachelorette pad, scant blocks from Main Street, Waltham, Massachusetts.

   1979 April 7, Pat M. Kuras, “Advertising for Love”, in Gay Community News, page 11

   [Minnesota Senator Steve] Daines isn’t the only example of right-wing politicians who wish to wield anti-Semitism as a convenient cudgel against their political enemies, with scant if any evidence. But Montana’s vanishingly small Jewish population makes it particularly clear that this strategy has little to do with flesh-and-blood Jews at all.

   2019 July 17, Talia Lavin, “When Non-Jews Wield Anti-Semitism as Political Shield”, in GQ

   Synonyms: little, few, slight

plural scants

1. A small piece or quantity.

   A blonde appeared from the officers' room, wearing a scant of material that passed for issued undergarments.

   2020, Nathaniel DeZago, Cries of Battle: Selstra

2. uncommonScarcity; lack.

   I was greatly surprised, however, in this very fertile and abundant country, to find so great a scant of provisions in the inns.

   1831, Derwent Conway, Switzerland, the South of France and the Pyrenees, page 224

   2 more examples

   As soon as the corpse was placed on the pile, and some prayers muttered by the attendant Bramin, fire was set to it at one of the corners, and the wood being dry, and in great quantity, it soon blazed up and consumed the body to ashes, without any noisome smell, such as however does not unfrequently happen if there is a scant of wood, or rain intervenes to damp it.

   1757, John-Henry Grose, A voyage to the East-Indies, with observations on various parts there, page 360

   Even if labour were diverted to a great extent from our grand staple, the cotton manufacture, we are not prepared to admit that the country would be worse off. The worst that could happen in such a case would be, that for a few years, during the inordinate progress of railways, our population would run short of shirts and shifts. If the woollen manufacture be the theme, there would be a scant of coats and petticoats; or if the earthenware manufacture, there must be fewer teapots and pipkins.

   1846, J T Hackett, Ability of the public to make the projected railways, reprinted in The Railway Register Vol. IV, page 144 https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=MEsFAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA144&dq=%22scant%22

3. businessA block of stone sawn on two sides down to the bed level.
4. businessA sheet of stone.
5. woodA slightly thinner measurement of a standard wood size.

1. datednot comparableuncommonWith difficulty; scarcely; hardly.

   So weak that he was scant able to go down the stairs.

   1655, Thomas Fuller, The Church-history of Britain; […], London: […] Iohn Williams […], →OCLC, (please specify |book=I to XI)

   1 more example

   [A]ske a Stoicke vvhich Philoſophy is true, he vvil preferre his ovvne. Then aske him vvhich approacheth next the truth, he vvill confeſſe the Academiques. So deale vvith the Epicure, that vvill ſcant indure the Stoicke to be in ſight of him, ſo ſoone as he hath placed himſelfe, he vvill place the Academiques next him.

   1597, Francis [Bacon], “Of the Colours of Good and Evill, a Fragment”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland […], published 1632, →OCLC