different between scant vs modest

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /skænt/
• Rhymes: -ænt

Etymology 1

From Middle English scant, from Old Norse skamt, neuter of skammr (“short”), from Proto-Germanic *skammaz (“short”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)?em- (“mutilated, hornless”).

Adjective

scant (comparative scanter, superlative scantest)

1. Very little, very few.
2. Not full, large, or plentiful; scarcely sufficient; scanty; meager; not enough.
   • 1824, John Watkins, Life of Hugh Latimer

     His sermon was scant, in all, a quarter of an hour.

3. Sparing; parsimonious; chary.

Synonyms

• (very little, few): few, little, slight
• (rare, scarce): geason; see also Thesaurus:rare

Antonyms

• (very little, few): ample, plenty

Derived terms

• scanty

Related terms

• scantily

Translations

Etymology 2

From Middle English scanten, from the adjective (see above).

Verb

scant (third-person singular simple present scants, present participle scanting, simple past and past participle scanted)

1. (transitive) To limit in amount or share; to stint.
   • 1625, Francis Bacon, Of Building

     where man hath a great living laid together and where he is scanted

   • 1625, Francis Bacon, Of Building

     I am scanted in the pleasure of dwelling on your actions.

2. (intransitive) To fail, or become less; to scantle.

Etymology 3

From Middle English scant, from the adjective (see above).

Noun

scant (plural scants)

1. (masonry) A block of stone sawn on two sides down to the bed level.
2. (masonry) A sheet of stone.
3. (wood) A slightly thinner measurement of a standard wood size.

Quotations

• For quotations using this term, see Citations:scant.

Etymology 4

From Middle English scant, from the adjective (see above).

Adverb

scant (not comparable)

1. With difficulty; scarcely; hardly.

   • So weak that he was scant able to go down the stairs.

   • 1597, Francis Bacon, Of the Colours of Good and Evil

     the Epicure , that will scant endure the Stoic to be in sight of him

Noun

scant

1. Scarcity; lack.

Anagrams

• can'st, canst, cants, casn't

English

Etymology

From Middle French modeste, from Latin modestus

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?m?d?st/

Adjective

modest (comparative more modest or modester, superlative most modest or modestest)

1. Not bragging or boasting about oneself or one's achievements; unpretentious, humble.
2. Small, moderate in size.

3. Pure and delicate from a sense of propriety.

4. (especially of behaviour or clothing) Intending to avoid the encouraging of sexual attraction in others.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:humble
• See also Thesaurus:intermediate
• See also Thesaurus:small

Antonyms

• immodest

Derived terms

• modest proposal
• modesty

Translations

Anagrams

• domets

Albanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /m?d?st/

Adjective

modest m (feminine modeste)

1. modest

Derived terms

• modesti

Catalan

Etymology

From Latin modestus.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic) IPA^(key): /mo?d?st/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /mu?d?st/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /mo?dest/

Adjective

modest (feminine modesta, masculine plural modests or modestos, feminine plural modestes)

1. modest

   Antonym: immodest

Derived terms

• modestament

Related terms

• immodest
• modèstia

Further reading

• “modest” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “modest” in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana.
• “modest” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “modest” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mo?dest/

Adjective

modest m or n (feminine singular modest?, masculine plural mode?ti, feminine and neuter plural modeste)

1. modest