scant

Where does the word "scant" come from? It comes from Old Norse skamt, and was adopted directly into English (1300s).

Scant’s story begins in Old Norse: skamt meant “short, insufficient.” Short, brief, insufficient in amount. It reached English by 1300s as scant. Settled as the English word for barely sufficient in amount. Today, scant means barely sufficient or adequate in amount.

1. Stage 1 · Old Norse · medieval skamt "short, insufficient", short, brief, insufficient in amount.
2. Stage 2 · English · 1300s scant "barely sufficient, meager", settled as the English word for barely sufficient in amount.