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scarcemore about scarce

scarce

 

  3  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Scarce  \Scarce\  (sk[^a]rs),  a.  [Compar.  {Scarcer} 
  (sk[^a]r"s[~e]r);  superl.  {Scarcest}.]  [OE.  scars,  OF 
  escars,  eschars,  LL  scarpsus  excarpsus  for  L.  excerptus 
  p.  p.  of  excerpere  to  pick  out  and  hence  to  contract,  to 
  shorten;  ex  (see  {Ex-})  +  carpere.  See  {Carpet},  and  cf 
  {Excerp}.] 
  1.  Not  plentiful  or  abundant;  in  small  quantity  in  proportion 
  to  the  demand;  not  easily  to  be  procured;  rare  uncommon. 
 
  You  tell  him  silver  is  scarcer  now  in  England,  and 
  therefore  risen  one  fifth  in  value.  --Locke. 
 
  The  scarcest  of  all  is  a  Pescennius  Niger  on  a 
  medallion  well  preserved.  --Addison. 
 
  2.  Scantily  supplied  (with);  deficient  (in);  --  with  of 
  [Obs.]  ``A  region  scarce  of  prey.''  --Milton. 
 
  3.  Sparing;  frugal;  parsimonious;  stingy.  [Obs.]  ``Too  scarce 
  ne  too  sparing.''  --Chaucer. 
 
  {To  make  one's  self  scarce},  to  decamp;  to  depart.  [Slang] 
 
  Syn:  Rare  infrequent;  deficient.  See  {Rare}. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Scarce  \Scarce\,  Scarcely  \Scarce"ly\,  adv 
  1.  With  difficulty;  hardly;  scantly;  barely;  but  just 
 
  With  a  scarce  well-lighted  flame.  --Milton. 
 
  The  eldest  scarcely  five  year  was  of  age.  --Chaucer. 
 
  Slowly  she  sails,  and  scarcely  stems  the  tides. 
  --Dryden. 
 
  He  had  scarcely  finished,  when  the  laborer  arrived 
  who  had  been  sent  for  my  ransom.  --W.  Irving. 
 
  2.  Frugally;  penuriously.  [Obs.]  --Chaucer. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  scarce 
  adj  1:  not  enough;  hard  to  find  "meat  was  scarce  during  the  war" 
  2:  deficient  in  quantity  or  number  compared  with  the  demand; 
  "fresh  vegetables  were  scarce  during  the  drought"  [ant:  {abundant}] 
  adv  :  by  a  small  margin;  "they  could  barely  hear  the  speaker";  "we 
  hardly  knew  them";  "just  missed  being  hit";  "had 
  scarcely  rung  the  bell  when  the  door  flew  open";  "would 
  have  scarce  arrived  before  she  would  have  found  some 
  excuse  to  leave"-  W.B.Yeats  [syn:  {barely},  {hardly},  {just}, 
  {scarcely}]




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