ˈske]rsəd.ē, ˈska(a)], ]əs-, -ətē, -i\ noun
( -es )
Etymology: Middle English scarsetee, from Old North French escarseté, from escars scarce + -eté -ity — more at scarce
: the quality or condition of being scarce:
a. obsolete : sparingness , niggardliness , parsimony
b. : smallness of quantity or number in proportion to the wants or demands
a scarcity of grain
the scarcity of teachers
: very limited supply
the scarcity of radium
c. : lack of provisions for the support of life : a period of such want
a drought-struck area suffers scarcity
d. obsolete : the condition of lacking an adequate supply (as of the necessities of life) : penury , poverty
e. obsolete : a state of imperfection : inadequacy
f. : rareness , uncommonness
praise … owes its value to its scarcity — Samuel Johnson