scarce

 
Pronunciation: /skɛːs/

adjective

  • (especially of food, money, or some other resource) insufficient for the demand: as raw materials became scarce, synthetics were developed
  • occurring in small numbers or quantities; rare: the freshwater shrimp becomes scarce in soft water

adverb

archaic
  • scarcely: a babe scarce two years old

Phrases

make oneself scarce

informal leave a place, especially so as to avoid a difficult situation: I could see he was annoyed so I made myself scarce

Derivatives

scarceness

noun

Origin:

Middle English (in the sense 'restricted in quantity or size', also 'parsimonious'): from a shortening of Anglo-Norman escars, from a Romance word meaning 'plucked out, selected'