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I board with a poor Scotchman: his wife can talk scarce any English.
David Brainerd

Meaning of "scarce" in the English dictionary

Dictionary
DICTIONARY
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ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD SCARCE

From Old Norman French scars, from Vulgar Latin excarpsus (unattested) plucked out, from Latin excerpere to select.
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Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.
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PRONUNCIATION OF SCARCE

scarce  [skɛəs] play
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GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF SCARCE

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Scarce can act as an adjective and an adverb.
The adjective is the word that accompanies the noun to determine or qualify it.

The adverb is an invariable part of the sentence that can change, explain or simplify a verb or another adverb.

WHAT DOES SCARCE MEAN IN ENGLISH?

Scarcity

Scarcity is the fundamental economic problem of having seemingly unlimited human wants in a world of limited resources. It states that society has insufficient productive resources to fulfill all human wants and needs. A common misconception on scarcity is that an item has to be important for it to be scarce. However, this is not true, for something to be scarce, it has to be hard to obtain, hard to create, or both. Simply put, the production cost of something determines if it is scarce or not. For example, although air is more important to us than diamonds, it is cheaper simply because the production cost of air is zero. Diamonds on the other hand have a high production cost. They have to be found and processed, both which require a lot of money. Additionally, scarcity implies that not all of society's goals can be pursued at the same time; trade-offs are made of one good against others. In an influential 1932 essay, Lionel Robbins defined economics as "the science which studies human behavior as a relationship between ends and scarce means which have alternative uses." In biology, scarcity can refer to the uncommonness or rarity of certain species.

Definition of scarce in the English dictionary

The first definition of scarce in the dictionary is rarely encountered. Other definition of scarce is insufficient to meet the demand. Scarce is also (archaic (or literary) scarcely.

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE SCARCE

scarabaei
scarabaeid
scarabaeist
scarabaeoid
scarabaeus
scarabee
scaraboid
Scaramouch
scaramouche
Scarborough
scarce as hen´s teeth
scarcely
scarcement
scarcities
scarcity
scarcity value
scare
scare quotes
scare story
scare tactics

WORDS THAT END LIKE SCARCE

air force
Barce
bedroom farce
chamber of commerce
commerce
divorce
e-commerce
farce
fierce
force
make oneself scarce
open source
outsource
pierce
police force
resource
searce
source
task force
workforce

Synonyms and antonyms of scarce in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

SYNONYMS OF «SCARCE»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «scarce» and belong to the same grammatical category.
synonyms of scarce

Translation of «scarce» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR
online translator

TRANSLATION OF SCARCE

Find out the translation of scarce to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.
The translations of scarce from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «scarce» in English.

Translator English - Chinese

稀少的
1,325 millions of speakers

Translator English - Spanish

exiguo
570 millions of speakers

English

scarce
510 millions of speakers

Translator English - Hindi

दुर्लभ
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

قَلِيل
280 millions of speakers

Translator English - Russian

редкий
278 millions of speakers

Translator English - Portuguese

escasso
270 millions of speakers

Translator English - Bengali

দুর্লভ
260 millions of speakers

Translator English - French

rare
220 millions of speakers

Translator English - Malay

Kekurangan
190 millions of speakers

Translator English - German

knapp
180 millions of speakers

Translator English - Japanese

不足して
130 millions of speakers

Translator English - Korean

모자라는
85 millions of speakers

Translator English - Javanese

Langka
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

khan hiếm
80 millions of speakers

Translator English - Tamil

பற்றாக்குறை
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Marathi

दुर्मिळ
75 millions of speakers

Translator English - Turkish

kıt
70 millions of speakers

Translator English - Italian

scarso
65 millions of speakers

Translator English - Polish

rzadki
50 millions of speakers

Translator English - Ukrainian

недостатній
40 millions of speakers

Translator English - Romanian

rar
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

λιγοστός
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

skaars
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

sällsynt
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

knapp
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of scarce

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «SCARCE»

The term «scarce» is very widely used and occupies the 21.166 position in our list of most widely used terms in the English dictionary.
0
100%
FREQUENCY
Very widely used
91
/100
The map shown above gives the frequency of use of the term «scarce» in the different countries.
Principal search tendencies and common uses of scarce
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «scarce».

FREQUENCY OF USE OF THE TERM «SCARCE» OVER TIME

The graph expresses the annual evolution of the frequency of use of the word «scarce» during the past 500 years. Its implementation is based on analysing how often the term «scarce» appears in digitalised printed sources in English between the year 1500 and the present day.

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about scarce

EXAMPLES

10 QUOTES WITH «SCARCE»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word scarce.
1
Francis Bacon
The way of fortune is like the milkyway in the sky; which is a number of small stars, not seen asunder, but giving light together: so it is a number of little and scarce discerned virtues, or rather faculties and customs, that make men fortunate.
2
Joe Bastianich
Essentially, wines are fermented grape juice, so I'm trying to make the point that the wine world is about scores and marketing and kind of creating a scarce resource where they don't really exist.
3
William Blake
The tree which moves some to tears of joy is in the eyes of others only a green thing that stands in the way. Some see nature all ridicule and deformity... and some scarce see nature at all. But to the eyes of the man of imagination, nature is imagination itself.
4
David Brainerd
I board with a poor Scotchman: his wife can talk scarce any English.
5
Adam Braun
The most abundant resources that we possess amongst the 1.5 million nonprofits in the United States are passion and knowledge, yet our most scarce resource is collaboration.
6
Nick Carter
Live life to the fullest, for the future is scarce.
7
Oswald Chambers
A good book, in the language of the book-sellers, is a salable one; in that of the curious, a scarce one; in that of men of sense, a useful and instructive one.
8
Mick Cornett
The bottom line is that we have entered an age when local communities need to invest in themselves. Federal and state dollars are becoming more and more scarce for American cities. Political and civic leaders in local communities need to make a compelling case for this investment.
9
Peter Diamandis
When I think about creating abundance, it's not about creating a life of luxury for everybody on this planet; it's about creating a life of possibility. It is about taking that which was scarce and making it abundant.
10
John Donne
Affliction is a treasure, and scarce any man hath enough of it.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «SCARCE»

Discover the use of scarce in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to scarce and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Hydropolitics along the Jordan River; Scarce Water and Its ...
This book argues that the Jordan River watershed - a region where some of the worst Arab-Israeli conflicts have occurred - might be the very place to bury ancient hatreds & work to give birth to new & more enlightened environmental ...
Wolf, A. T., 1995
2
Water and Power: The Politics of a Scarce Resource in the ...
This book will be of value to all those with an interest in the region, and to those concerned with the environmental issues of the politics of water scarcity.
Miriam R. Lowi, 1995
3
Fishy Business: Salmon, Biology, and the Social Construction ...
Using Pacific salmon and the biologists who study the fish, this book explores the question: where does society end and nature begin?
Rik Scarce, 2000
4
Allocating Scarce Medical Resources: Roman Catholic Perspectives
Written by premier scholars from the United States and abroad, these essays will be valuable reading for students and scholars of bioethics and Christian moral theology.
H. Tristram Engelhardt, Jr., Mark J. Cherry, 2002
5
Scarce Goods: Justice, Fairness, and Organ Transplantation
Tom Koch considers both lifeboat ethics and its modern application to the distribution of transplantable human organs in the United States.
Tom Koch, 2002
6
Management of Scarce Water Resources: A Middle Eastern ...
The aim of this book is to provide a practical approach to a wide variety of water related topics.
Hazim El-Naser, 2009
7
Project Scheduling with Time Windows and Scarce Resources: ...
Obviously, this is due to the distinguishing feature of the first edition, namely 1. eonsidering general temporal eonstraints (arising from minimum and maximum time lags between projeet aetivities) and several different types of searee ...
Klaus Neumann-Braun, Christoph Schwindt, Jürgen Zimmermann, 2003
8
Eco-Warrioros. Updated edition:
Literate, captivating, and informative, this is also an ideal volume for classes on environmentalism, social movements, or contemporary politics.
Rik Scarce, 2006
9
The Nile: Sharing a Scarce Resource: A Historical and ...
Examines the environmental element of managing the international water resource of the Nile.
P. P. Howell, J. A. Allan, 1994
10
Scarce Heard Amid the Guns: An Inside Look at Canadian ...
Scarce Heard Amid the Guns tears the curtain of myth away, providing a rare, visceral inner perspective of the various Canadian missions.
John Conrad, 2011

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «SCARCE»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term scarce is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Nuclear royal commissioner Scarce finds plenty of information
Former governor and navy admiral Kevin Scarce, who is heading the state's investigation into the merits of engaging in the nuclear fuel cycle, told The Weekend ... «The Australian, Jul 15»
2
Nuclear needs a '40-year vision'
Next week Kevin Scarce heads to the United States and Canada on the second leg of an overseas visits program as part of his deliberations. He said in some ... «The Australian Financial Review, Jun 15»
3
Denver Water's Artsy Campaign Highlights Scarce Resource
DENVER (CBS4) – Water is a scarce resource in the West, and Colorado is no different. To highlight the importance of fresh water, which makes up a measly ... «CBS Local, Jun 15»
4
India set to become water scarce country by 2025: Report
MUMBAI: Although India is set to become water scarce country by 2025 due to demand-supply mis-match, the water sector is expected to see investment of USD ... «Economic Times, May 15»
5
Connectivity scarce in Cuba
Connectivity remains in scarce in Cuba, and those who have access must pack plenty of patience. Show Transcript Hide Transcript. THOSE DETAILS ARE ... «Local 10, Apr 15»
6
Thorium explorers scarce as nuclear power station numbers expand
More than 230 nuclear reactors are under construction or on the drawing board around the world which will help fuel demand for uranium, and 200 of the ... «Sydney Morning Herald, Apr 15»
7
Qing ming festival reveals scarce burial sites for Hong Kong's …
During this year's Chinese Qing Ming festival, which is a day to honor ancestors by sweeping and cleaning their tombs, residents in one of the world's most ... «CCTV-America, Apr 15»
8
Available Spectrum Very Scarce in India: Trai Chairman
Expressing concerns over spectrum scarcity in the country, Trai Chairman Rahul Khullar on Monday said the availability of airwaves in India is less than 40 ... «NDTV, Mar 15»
9
Nuclear royal commissioner officially appointed, denies bias
Some people opposing the inquiry, including Doctor Jim Green from Friends of the Earth Australia, say former governor Kevin Scarce had spoken out in favour of ... «ABC Online, Mar 15»
10
Scarce announces run for circuit court clerk
Mark W. Scarce, 50, said his years as a public servant in Pittsylvania County and familiarity with the court system make him a good fit for the position. «GoDanRiver.com, Mar 15»

REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Scarce [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/scarce>. Apr 2024 ».
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