scarcer









scarcer


adjective, scarc·er, scarc·est.

  1. insufficient to satisfy the need or demand; not abundant: Meat and butter were scarce during the war.
  2. seldom met with; rare: a scarce book.

adverb

  1. scarcely.

Idioms

  1. make oneself scarce, Informal.
    1. to depart, especially suddenly.
    2. to stay away; avoid.

adjective

  1. rarely encountered
  2. insufficient to meet the demand
  3. make oneself scarce informal to go away, esp suddenly

adverb

  1. archaic, or literary scarcely

adj.c.1300, “restricted in quantity,” from Old North French scars “scanty, scarce” (Old French eschars, Modern French échars) from Vulgar Latin *scarsus, from *escarpsus, from *excarpere “pluck out,” from classical Latin excerpere “pluck out” (see excerpt). As an adverb early 14c. from the adjective. Phrase to make oneself scarce “go away” first attested 1771, noted as a current “cant phrase.” Related: Scarcely. In addition to the idiom beginning with scarce

  • scarce as hen’s teeth
  • scarcely ever
  • also see:

  • make oneself scarce
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