Paucity
/ˈpɔː.sə.ti/noun
A smallness of quantity or number; scarcity.
Did you know?Paucity comes from the same ancient root as words for “few” in several Indo-European languages, showing how languages turned a simple idea of small number into a term for lack itself.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*peuǵ-
“to be few, small in number”
Latin
Latin
paucus
“few, little”
Late Latin
Latin
paucitas
“fewness, scarcity”
14th Century
Middle English
paucite
“fewness; scarcity”
Modern English
English
paucity
“smallness of quantity; scarcity”