paucity

paucity
paucity (n.) early 15c., from O.Fr. paucité (14c.), from L. paucitatem (nom. paucitas) "fewness, scarcity," from paucus "few, little," from PIE root *pau- "few, little" (Cf. L. paullus "little;" O.E. feawe "few;" see FEW (Cf. few) (adj.).

Etymology dictionary. 2014.

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  • Paucity — Pau ci*ty, n. [L. paucitas, fr. paucus few, little: cf. F. paucit[ e] See {Few}.] 1. Fewness; smallness of number; scarcity. Hooker. [1913 Webster] Revelation denies it by the stern reserve, the paucity, and the incompleteness, of its… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • paucity — I noun absence, bare subsistence, dearth, deficiency, deprivation, destitution, drought, exigency, exiguity, famine, fewness, finite quantity, fraction, inadequacy, infrequency, insufficiency, lack, limited amount, minimum, minority, modicum,… …   Law dictionary

  • paucity — [n] lack, scarcity absence, dearth, deficiency, famine, fewness, insufficience, insufficiency, meagerness, paltriness, poverty, rarity, scantiness, scarceness, shortage, slenderness, slightness, smallness, sparseness, sparsity; concepts… …   New thesaurus

  • paucity — ► NOUN ▪ smallness or insufficiency of supply or quantity. ORIGIN from Latin paucus few …   English terms dictionary

  • paucity — [pô′sə tē] n. [ME paucyte < MFr or L: MFr paucité < L paucitas < paucus,FEW] 1. fewness; small number 2. scarcity; dearth; insufficiency …   English World dictionary

  • paucity — [[t]pɔ͟ːsɪti[/t]] N SING: N of n If you say that there is a paucity of something, you mean that there is not enough of it. [FORMAL] Even the film s impressive finale can t hide the first hour s paucity of imagination. ...the paucity of good… …   English dictionary

  • paucity — noun a) Fewness in number; a small number. But when I had crossed the threshold, I was astonished at the paucity of facts to be gleaned from the inmates themselves. b) Smallness in size or amount; meagerness. Your tax refund might be late, owing… …   Wiktionary

  • paucity — pau|ci|ty [ˈpo:sıti US ˈpo: ] n [singular] formal [Date: 1300 1400; : Old French; Origin: paucité, from Latin, from paucus little ] less than is needed of something = ↑lack paucity of ▪ a paucity of information …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • paucity — pau|ci|ty [ pɔsəti ] noun singular FORMAL paucity of a small amount of something that is not enough: There s a paucity of quality leaders …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • paucity — noun a paucity of formal less than is needed of something: a paucity of information …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

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