Scant, a. [Compar. Scanter; superl. Scantest.]
Etymology: [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.
4 other Webster entries under this spelling
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.
To fail, of become less; to scantle; as, the wind scants.
Scant, adv.
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.
Scantness; scarcity. [R.] T. Carew.