Scarce
AI In plain words
Writing a short explanation…
Written by a house AI from the entry below, in your language. The entry itself is the source.
scarce¹
- /ˈskɛəs/ UK
- /ˈskɛɚs/ US
- /skeːs/ Australia
- /skeəs/ New Zealand
- /skiəs/
- /skeɹs/ Scotland
- /skɜː(ɹ)s/
- /skɑː(ɹ)s/ nonstandard
- /ˈskeɪs/
Rhymes with -ɛə(ɹ)s
Where it comes from
From Middle English scars, scarse, from Old Northern French scars, escars ("sparing, niggard, parsimonious, miserly, poor"; > French échars, Medieval Latin scarsus (“diminished, reduced”)), of uncertain origin. One theory is that it derives originally from a Late Latin *scarpsus, *excarpsus, a participle form of *excarpere (“take out”), from Latin ex- + carpere; yet the sense evolution is difficult to trace. Compare Middle Dutch schaers (“scarce”), Middle Dutch schaers (“a pair of shears, plowshare”), scheeren (“to shear”).
The standard pronunciation having the /ɛə(ɹ)/ vowel instead of expected /ɑː(ɹ)/ is due to a tendency for Old and Middle French preconsonantal /ar/ to be borrowed as Middle English /aːr/ that only survives in this word and dace in the modern standard, but is more frequent in Early Modern English and traditional dialects; compare Scots gairden (“garden”), lairge (“large”).
adjective scarcer · scarcest · scarse · scace
- Uncommon, rare; difficult to find; insufficient to meet a demand. By the end of the 20th century elephants had become scarce even in Africa.
- Scantily supplied (with); deficient (in); used with of. The project failed due to the scarce resources in the national market.
Similar: geason, infrequent, raresome
adverb scarse · scace
- Scarcely, only just. The Virgin quite for her requeſt / The God that ſits at marriage feaſt; / He at their invoking came / But with a ſcarce-wel-lighted flame; / And in his Garland as he ſtood, / Ye might diſcern a Cipreſs bud.
Scarce²
proper noun Scarces
- A surname.
