Definify.com

Webster 1913 Edition


Scant

Scant

,
Adj.
[
Com
par.
Scanter
;
sup
erl.
Scantest
.]
[Icel.
skamt
, neuter of
skamr
,
skammr
, short; cf.
skamta
to dole out, to portion.]
1.
Not full, large, or plentiful; scarcely sufficient; less than is wanted for the purpose; scanty; meager; not enough;
as, a
scant
allowance of provisions or water; a
scant
pattern of cloth for a garment
.
His sermon was
scant
, in all, a quarter of an hour.
Ridley.
2.
Sparing; parsimonious; chary.
Be somewhat
scanter
of your maiden presence.
Shakespeare
Syn. – See under
Scanty
.

Scant

,
Verb.
T.
[
imp. & p. p.
Scanted
;
p. pr. & vb. n.
Scanting
.]
1.
To limit; to straiten; to treat illiberally; to stint;
as, to
scant
one in provisions; to
scant
ourselves in the use of necessaries
.
Where a man hath a great living laid together and where he is
scanted
.
Bacon.
I am
scanted
in the pleasure of dwelling on your actions.
Dryden.
2.
To cut short; to make small, narrow, or scanty; to curtail.
Scant not my cups.”
Shak.

Scant

,
Verb.
I.
To fail, or become less; to scantle;
as, the wind
scants
.

Scant

,
adv.
In a scant manner; with difficulty; scarcely; hardly.
[Obs.]
Bacon.
So weak that he was
scant
able to go down the stairs.
Fuller.

Scant

,
Noun.
Scantness; scarcity.
[R.]
T. Carew.

Webster 1828 Edition


Scant

SCANT

, v.t.
To limit; to straiten; as, to scant one in provisions; to scant ourselves in the use of necessaries; to scant a garment in cloth.
I am scanted in the pleasure of dwelling on your actions.

SCANT

,
Verb.
I.
To fail or become less; as, the wind scants.

SCANT

, a.
1.
Not full, large or plentiful; scarcely sufficient; rather less than is wanted for the purpose; as a scant allowance of provisions or water; a scant pattern of cloth for a garment.
2.
Sparing; parsimonious; cautiously affording.
Be somewhat scanter of your maiden presence. [Not in use.]
3.
Not fair, free or favorable for a ship's course; as a scant wind.

SCANT

,
adv.
Scarcely; hardly; not quite.
The people - received of the bankers scant twenty shillings for thirty. [Obsolete or vulgar.]

Definition 2024


scant

scant

English

Adjective

scant (comparative scanter, superlative scantest)

  1. Very little, very few.
    "After his previous escapades, Mary had scant reason to believe John."
  2. Not full, large, or plentiful; scarcely sufficient; scanty; meager; not enough.
    a scant allowance of provisions or water; a scant pattern of cloth for a garment
    • Ridley
      His sermon was scant, in all, a quarter of an hour.
  3. Sparing; parsimonious; chary.
    • Shakespeare
      Be somewhat scanter of your maiden presence.

Synonyms

Antonyms

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Verb

scant (third-person singular simple present scants, present participle scanting, simple past and past participle scanted)

  1. (transitive) To limit in amount or share; to stint.
    to scant someone in provisions; to scant ourselves in the use of necessaries
    • Shakespeare
      Scant not my cups.
    • Francis Bacon
      where man hath a great living laid together and where he is scanted
    • Dryden
      I am scanted in the pleasure of dwelling on your actions.
  2. (intransitive) To fail, or become less; to scantle.
    The wind scants.

Noun

scant (plural scants)

  1. (masonry) A block of stone sawn on two sides down to the bed level.
  2. (masonry) A sheet of stone.
  3. (wood) A slightly thinner measurement of a standard wood size.

Quotations

  • For usage examples of this term, see Citations:scant.

Adverb

scant (not comparable)

  1. With difficulty; scarcely; hardly.
    • Fuller
      So weak that he was scant able to go down the stairs.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Francis Bacon to this entry?)

Anagrams