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.
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.
© Webster 1913.
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.
© Webster 1913.
Scant, v. i.
To fail, of become less; to scantle; as, the wind scants.
© Webster 1913.
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.
© Webster 1913.
Scant, n.
Scantness; scarcity.
[R.]
T. Carew.
© Webster 1913.