scant
英 [skænt] 美 [skænt]
adj.不充分的；不足的 v.减缩；限制；忽略
◉Etymology
“Scant” 一词源自古英语 “scant,” 意为“稀少的”或“有限的”。它的词源可以追溯到古诺尔斯语 “skamt,” 意为“短暂的”或“少量的”，并且与古英语 “scantling” (指小块木材) 有关，暗示着东西的有限性。在英语中，这个词最早出现于中世纪，并逐渐演变为现代英语中表示不足或稀少的含义。
◉外刊例句
① 《纽约时报》 (The New York Times), 2024年6月12日
“The report showed scant evidence to support the claims of widespread corruption within the organization.”
“报告显示几乎没有证据支持关于组织内部广泛腐败的说法。”
② 《华盛顿邮报》 (The Washington Post), 2023年9月5日
“Despite the scant resources available, the team managed to complete the project ahead of schedule.”
“尽管资源有限，团队还是设法提前完成了项目。”
◉经典名著
在威廉·莎士比亚的戏剧《麦克白》（Macbeth）中，“scant” 描述了资源的不足：
“Macbeth’s ambition was spurred by the scant rewards and limited recognition he received from his king.”
“麦克白的野心受到他从国王那里获得的微薄奖励和有限认可的激励。”
◉Usage Examples
(1) Your attachment to substandard lodgings and scant tuition in Dover is clearly irrational.
(1) 你留恋多佛低于标准的住宿条件和不足的奖学金，这明显是非理性的。
◉Usage Notes
Scant is an adjective that means "a tiny amount," like your scant attendance at practice this week that results in being benched from the big game.
Scant is also a verb, that means "to supply sparingly" — don't scant with the brownies, or I will keep asking for more. Scant also means "to deal with inadequately or carelessly." When you scant the reports on homelessness, they are so superficial on data that they don't reflect the real problem. Scant comes from the Old Norse word skamt, meaning "short, brief."
◉Colins
1. [ADJ-GRADED 能被表示程度的副词或介词词组修饰的形容词]一丁点的；微小的；不足的；欠缺的 You use scant to indicate that there is very little of something or not as much of something as there should be. [usu ADJ n]
She began to berate the police for paying scant attention to the theft from her car.
她开始痛斥警方对她车内被窃一案不够关注。
...forces that have shown scant respect for Red Cross markings or UN flags...
对红十字会标志和联合国旗帜不屑一顾的军队
There is scant evidence of strong economic growth to come.
没有足够的证据表明经济将会突飞猛进。
2. [ADJ 形容词](强调数目)小的，很小的，仅有的 If you describe an amount as scant, you are emphasizing that it is small. [a ADJ amount] [emphasis]
This hole was a scant .23 inches in diameter...
这个洞眼的直径只有 0.23 英寸。
In fact, Richard Savage had known Edward Bellamy a scant five hours.
实际上，理查德·萨维奇和爱德华·贝拉米相识才仅仅 5 个小时。
