exiguity means the quality of being meagre or scanty. It carries an Arena rating of 1661, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, exiguity ranks #1,151 of 13,218 for Most Elegant Words, #1,346 of 13,218 for Most Sublime Words, #1,715 of 13,218 for Most Malleable Words, #2,684 of 13,218 for Scariest Words.
exiguity is pronounced /ɛɡzɪˈɡjuːɪti/.
Why “exiguity” is a great word
The quality of being extremely meagre, scanty, or insufficient in quantity, size, or extent. From Middle French *exiguite*, from Late Latin *exiguitas* ('scantiness'), from Latin *exiguus* ('scanty, small'), it was first recorded in English in 1630. Unlike 'paucity,' which emphasizes a small and insufficient count, or 'scarcity,' which describes a general shortage, 'exiguity' stresses an inherent, qualitative essence of meagreness. It is the stingy sliver of soap left in the dish, the single bare bulb casting a harsh light across a rented room, and the worn-down stub of a pencil in a child's hand—a word for the quiet, intimate ache of not-enough.
Etymology
From Middle French exiguite, from Late Latin exiguitas. See exiguous.
noun
- The quality of being meagre or scanty.“The exiguity and ſmallneſſe of ſome ſeeds extending to large productions is one of the magnalities of nature, ſomewhat illuſtrating the work of the Creation, and vaſt production from nothing.”
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