Recorded in English since about 1300, from Old North French scars, meaning scant or deficient, ultimately linked to Latin excerpere, meaning to pluck out or select.
Recorded in English since about 1300, from Old North French scars, meaning scant or deficient, ultimately linked to Latin excerpere, meaning to pluck out or select.
What does scarce mean?
Scarce usually means available in too small an amount, or uncommon and difficult to find.
What is the difference between scarce and rare?
Scarce often stresses that supply does not meet need, while rare stresses that very few examples exist.
What are the comparative forms of scarce?
The comparative is scarcer and the superlative is scarcest.
Can scarce be an adverb?
Yes. In old-fashioned or literary writing, scarce can mean hardly or barely.
Where does scarce come from?
Scarce came through Old North French and is ultimately linked to a Latin verb meaning to pluck out or select.