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A Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue (up to 1700)

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First published 2000 (DOST Vol. VIII).
This entry has not been updated since then but may contain minor corrections and revisions.

Scant, Skant, adj. and adv. Also: scante, schant, skaunt, skaynt. [ME and e.m.E. scant adj. (a1400), adv. (c1400), ON skamt, neut. of skamm-r short, brief.]

A. adj. 1. Short in supply; insufficient in quantity to meet an immediate demand, barely adequate in amount; scarce.Of material things, esp. commodities, also of non-material things.Chiefly predic.(1) predic. c1420 Wynt. iv 989.
To [C. Til] scant all rynnand ryverys were For to be drynk till his powere c1475 Wall. iii 13.
Wictaill worth scant or August coud apper 1533 Boece 562b.
Halcrekis and foregere was amang thame skant 1539 Treas. Acc. VII 172.
For lesurris to lyne the nek … witht becaus the samin furring was skant 1540 Lynd. Sat. 753.
Thocht the corne war never sa skant, The gudewyfis will not let freirs want 1549 Compl. 156/8.
Bot the … expensis that he maid on corne … gart the victualis be deir and skant, quhilk was occasione that the pure pepil deit for hungir 1560 Rolland Seven S. Prol. 174.
Quhair gold is skant, siluer mon vs content 1562 Reg. Privy C. I 212.
Nocht onlie growis gude money skant … bot als the prices … incresis 1567 G. Ball. 35.
Ane derth, quhilk maid the vittel scant Ib. 194. 1572-5 Diurn. Occurr. 289.
The wedder wes vehement cald and the coillis wer verie scant Ib. 302.
This proclamatioun … maid the drink scanter in the said toun 1582 Burntisland B. Ct. 1 May.
The comowne gras off this burght … is baith wery small and skant a1605 Montg. Flyt. 190 (T).
I reid of nocht bot it is scant, Of cattell, clothing and of corne 1587-99 Hume 34/12.
Within my vaines the bloud is skant and cald 1657 Nicoll Diary 194.
The cuntrey being exceiding pure, the moneyis skairsche and skant(b) a1595 Cullen Chron. Aberd. 47.
Fysh and flaische was skaynt and derattrib. 1514 (c1580) Edinb. B. Rec. I 146.
That in tyme of scant watter ilk nychtbour thairof sall haue facultie and priuelege to grynd four laid of quheit in his dew place 1622-6 Bisset II 246/15.
Twa schipis or ma lyand in ane heavin at skant wattir(2) 1513 Doug. 1 Prol. 307.
Thocht in my translatioun eloquens skant is Ib. v iv 80.
Quhil in thar dry throtis the aynd worth skant Ib. x Prol. 19.
Thy Godhed na rychar nor ȝit mar skant Nowthir now nor than 1535 Stewart 16884.
Thair wes no plesour to thame that tyme skant 1560 Rolland Seven S. Prol. 161.
Becaus strange termes I want I haue na dout bot heir thay sall be skant a1568 Scott xvi 54.
Perchance thay sall find freindschip skant 1626 Garden Worthies 177.
My skill is skant a1689 Cleland 110.
And if my judgement be not scant Some lybel will be relevant

b. Chiefly const. infin.: Difficult (to obtain), ? because of real or apparent shortage or high price.(1) a1570-86 Balnavis Maitl. F. 357/55.
Fra tyme thow want that stufe is skant To borrow in the town 1597 Conv. Burghs II 12.
Skowis for making of treyis … be verray bair and skant to be gotten 1604 Urie Baron Ct. 8.
Smeddie collis was risseyn to hiecher prycis and mair scant to be had thane they war of befor(2) c1550 Rolland Ct. Venus i 900.
Madame … the price it is to hie … The copie clene I quite it is sa skant ȝit nocht the les I sall compeir said he

c. transf. In scant time, a period when things are less plentiful. 1560 Rolland Seven S. 8532.
Now is past by the skant time of the ȝeir

d. Of persons: Few, when compared with the number needed. a1585 Maitland Maitl. Q. 43/33.
The tormentaris wer then so scant Chryist for to scurge scairis found wer sax ?a1640 Copie of a Baron's Court (1821) 33.
Good servants now are scant, Their fees likewise are grown exorbitant

2. Less in size, length, or amount than would normally be the case or than would suit the circumstances described. b. specif. Of a measure or measured amount. 1556 Lauder Off. Kings 260.
Than can ȝe be no maner want Gold thocht ȝour pose wer neuer sa skant a1570-86 Maitl. F. 440/121.
Women … man be buskit wp lyk bryddis … Thair gownis schant to schaw thair skin a1605 Montg. Ch. & Slae 110 (W).
That littil god of loue … So … childlike, with bowe thrie quartars scante a1639 Spotsw. Hist. (1677) v.
By reason of the skant and narrow passage many were killedb. 1513 Doug. viii Prol. 40.
The myllar mythis the multyr with a met skant For droucht had drunkyn vp his dam in the dry ȝeir 1525–6 Selkirk B. Ct. (ed.) 79.
Ordines the balyeis to excers and vesy the halff furlattis one Fridy neixt to cum, … for nane is vissis that hes mettis that ar skant 1540 Lynd. Sat. 4061.
Howbeit your elwand be to scant 1575 Edinb. Test. III 318.
A … flekket of ane quart with ane scant chopine of rois walter in it

3. Deficient in certain respects. 1513 Doug. i Prol. 118, 119.
Quhar scant was Scottis, I had nane other choys Nocht for our tong is in the selwyn skant Bot for that I the fowth of langage want

4. Of things and, chiefly, persons: Scant of, short of, lacking in, poorly supplied with (goods, etc.). Also proverb. a1500 Quare Jel. 198.
I bene … full of merci … In suffrance scant of mony grete offense 1554 Duncan Laideus Test. 163.
Gif he be scant of ky in hevin 1554–5 Bk. Old Edinb. C. XV 11.
Tending thairby to mak the town skant of breid ?1565 Breadalbane Lett. 13 Nov.
I vois skant off paper at the makin heiroff a1570-86 Maitland Maitl. F. 46/9.
Off houshald graythe sum rycht skant war a1578 Pitsc. I 306/16.
He was skant of hay and horse corne 1580 Edinb. B. Rec. IV 161.
The said wellis … becumes swa dry and scant of watter that the towne can nocht be seruit 1584 Sempill Sat. P. xlv 1016.
He was scant of clathis 1584–5 Edinb. B. Rec. IV 382.
In consideratioun that the toun is scant of ministers [etc.] a1595 Descr. Isles 436.
In this ile … is … na woodis nor mosses quhairthrow thai are scant of fire 1598 James VI Minor Prose 70/12.
This ile … being skantly inhabited but by very few, and they as … skant of ciuilitie as number ?1549 Monro W. Isles (1961) 87.
Simple people scant of ony religion 1616 Misc. Hist. Soc. II 169.
Being prisoner … and skant of … servants 1620 Grant Chart. 325.
The goodwyff being skant of meitproverb. a1628 Carmichael Prov. No. 831.
I am not sa scant of claith as to sole my hose with a doken 1639 J. Corbet Ungirding Scottish Armour 52.
They are scant of newes that tels their father was hanged

b. Without const.: Badly off; not having enough (money). c1590 Fowler I 44/201.
And onelie pwir maid by his welth and by abundance skant 1608 Breadalbane Lett. 16 March.
I haif send to ȝow my compt becaus I am skant, vtherwayes I wald not haif send it

B. adv. 1. Scarcely, barely, hardly. Scant weill, not well, badly, inadequately.The Stewart quot. in (1) below may properly belong to Scant n. (3).(1) a1487 Gud Wyf & D. 62.
Half the riches that he has Sall scant be worth his viffis clas a1500 Henr. Fab. 2905.
All thair flesche wald scant be half ane fill … vnto that gredie gled Id. Orph. 305.
For slydernes scant mycht he hald his fete c1500-c1512 Dunb. (OUP) 72/5.
So sair the magryme dois me menȝie … That scant I luik may on the licht Ib. 121/86.
Greit abbais grayth I nill to gather Bot ane kirk scant coverit with hadder 1513 Doug. i Prol. 130.
Grantis quhen twelf ȝheris he had beyn diligent To study Virgill, skant knew quhat he ment 1533 Boece 163b.
Scottis and Pichtis … war skant sa mekle be Romanis extemyt, as sufferit mak seruice like vile sklavis 1535 Stewart 61109.
This nobill king that scant of sic thing wist … Tha branit him c1550 Rolland Ct. Venus ii 648.
Skant was he vp quhen at the eird was he a1570-86 Maitland Maitl. F. 317/16.
Ane kynnisman skant may trow ane vdir(b) 1490 Irland Mir. II 59/2.
Pane eternal in body and saule that natur of creatur skaunt may sustene(2) 1513 Doug. iv Prol. 155.
Says nocht ȝour sentens thus, skant worth a fas, ‘Quhat honeste or renoun is tobe dram?’ 1535 Stewart 56288.
In it he left nocht scant worth ane kaill leif 1547 Cal. Sc. P. I 5.
Peter Tomsone sayd to the Abbat of Pasley in consell at the greyt men of Yngland was skant content at suber men had the realm in gyding(3) 1513 Doug. i Prol. 366.
Latyn wordis … That in our leyd ganand translatioun has nane, Les than we mynys thar sentens and grauyte, And ȝit scant weill exponyt a1568 Scott xxvi 34.
Thay wis thair will that skant weill wenys

b. Of a numeral, or a measured amount, distance, etc., stated in terms of numbers and fractions. Cf. A 2 above. 1375 Barb. (1751) xx 444.
He had not with him bot skant ten c1420 Wynt. vii 3248.
Ane half yhere skant he wes byschape 1460 Hay Alex. 3383.
Skant ane thousand chaist all thare cumpaney c1515 Asl. MS I 153/29.
The breid of the erth fra south till north … is scant half samekle as the lenth a1570-86 Kennedy Maitl. F. 234/10.
Thy fulies lust lestis scant ane maij 1513 Doug. i vi 134.
Of all our floyt … skant Sevin … salue remanys with me Ib. iv v 77.
That secund Parys … With his onworthy sort, skant half men beyn a1538 Abell 116a.
He wes skant thre ȝere quhen he wes crownit c1540 Lynd. Syde Taillis 63.
Pure claggokis … Quhilk hes skant twa markis for thare feis 1553 Reg. Privy C. I 149.
Scant twa houris afore the meting of the wardanis 15.. Clar. i 1346.
Palexis … and Amadur … War scant two mylis the kingis castell fro a1570-86 Maitl. F. 244/7.
It is scant ane twelf month gane a1578 Pitsc. (1814) xxi.
The breadth of the island is … scant thrittie mylles 1686 G. Stuart Joco-Ser. Disc. 11.
If we ha' scant a mark o' gear

2. Scantily. = Scantly adv. 2. c1420 Wynt. vi 2494.
The wynd swa skant wes than blawand c1620 Boyd Zion's Fl. 153.
A heart couragious never breathed scant