scant

a. [ Compar. Scanter superl. Scantest. ] [ 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. [ 1913 Webster ]

His sermon was scant, in all, a quarter of an hour. Ridley. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Sparing; parsimonious; chary. [ 1913 Webster ]

Be somewhat scanter of your maiden presence. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Syn. -- See under Scanty. [ 1913 Webster ]

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. [ 1913 Webster ]

Where a man hath a great living laid together and where he is scanted. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

I am scanted in the pleasure of dwelling on your actions. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To cut short; to make small, narrow, or scanty; to curtail. “Scant not my cups.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. To fail, or become less; to scantle; as, the wind scants. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a scant manner; with difficulty; scarcely; hardly. [ Obs. ] Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

So weak that he was scant able to go down the stairs. Fuller. [ 1913 Webster ]

adv. In a scanty manner; not fully; not plentifully; sparingly; parsimoniously. [ 1913 Webster ]

His mind was very scantily stored with materials. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ 1913 Webster ]

n. Quality or condition of being scanty. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. [ Dim. of scant, v. ] To be deficient; to fail. [ Obs. ] Drayton. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ OF. escanteler, eschanteler, to break into contles; pref. es- (L. ex) + cantel, chantel, corner, side, piece. Confused with E. scant. See Cantle. ] To scant; to be niggard of; to divide into small pieces; to cut short or down. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

All their pay
Must your discretion scantle; keep it back. J. Webster. [ 1913 Webster ]