SCANTLY

Etymology

Adverb

scantly (comparative more scantly, superlative most scantly)

In a way that is slightly lacking, that is scant of how much should be provided.

Barely; hardly.

We hold a tourney here to-morrow morn, / And there is scantly time for half the work.

Source: Wiktionary

Scant"ly, adv.

1. In a scant manner; not fully or sufficiently; narrowly; penuriously. Dryden.

2. Scarcely; hardly; barely. Scantly they durst their feeble eyes dispread Upon that town. Fairfax. We hold a tourney here to-morrow morn, And there is scantly time for half the work. Tennyson.

SCANT

Scant, a. [Compar. Scanter; superl. Scantest.] Etym: [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. Shak.

Syn.

– See under Scanty.

Scant, v. 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 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, v. i.

Definition: To fail, of become less; to scantle; as, the wind scants.

Scant, adv.

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

Scant, n.

Definition: Scantness; scarcity. [R.] T. Carew.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition