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# scant

«scant» in Mova's school dictionary: **very little, hardly enough** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples, with 1 sentence of Mova's corpora that use it.

### part of speech

adjective (scant) — formal or literary

### meaning for a pupil

1) Scant means very little, hardly enough. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/scant/#m1)

2) Scant can mean a bit less than a stated amount, as in «a scant teaspoon» (not quite a full one). [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/scant/#m2)

3) Having a scant in your breath means being short of breath, so you puff when you climb. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/scant/#m3)

### sense in the lessons

In books and the formal exam voice it shows that there is not enough of something: «scant evidence», «paid scant attention». In cooking recipes «a scant cup» means slightly less than a full cup. Phrases: «scant attention», «scant regard», «scant evidence», «a scant cup».

### examples

- There was scant food left after the party. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/scant/#x1)
- He paid scant attention to the warning signs. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/scant/#x2)
- The scientist said there was scant evidence for the claim. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/scant/#x3)
- Add a scant teaspoon of salt. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/scant/#x4)
- The desert gets scant rain each year. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/scant/#x5)
- The explorers had scant hope of rescue. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/scant/#x6)
- Henceforth whenever I go up a hill, I shall have a scant in my breath and a pain in my chest." [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/scant/#x7)

### note

Formal word; everyday words are «little», «hardly any», «not much». Used before uncountable nouns (scant attention, scant rain). Not «scanty» exactly: «scanty» often describes clothes that cover little. In recipes, «scant» means a little under the measure.

### In the corpora

- [Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is abominable?](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/jps/MIC.91/)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «scant» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/S/scant/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.