Middle English Dictionary Entry
scā̆rsetẹ̄ n.
Entry Info
| Forms | scā̆rsetẹ̄ n. Also scarsite, -cete, -cite, -sede, -side, -cesite, skarsete, -scite, -cete & scarste, -zte, -stie, skarste, skaste & (errors) scrafte, scate; pl. scarstes & (error) startees. |
| Etymology | AF/ONF escarseté, escarceté, AF escarcité, vars. of OF escharseté. |
Definitions (Senses and Subsenses)
1.
(a) Insufficiency, want; dearth, lack; scarcity of food; (b) ~ of, insufficiency of (sth.); a dearth of (sth., people); (c) smallness of amount, fewness of number; rarity; sparseness of hair; ~ of, small amount or number of (sth.); scarsetes of, few (persons).
Associated quotations
a
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)3.465 : It is good to lyve in good rule and in plente and nouȝt in streiȝtnesse, scarsite, and meschief.
- c1400(?a1300) KAlex.(LdMisc 622)5486 : Þe..chaumberlayn Wexe to bygge in þis cite, Of whiche hij hadden scarsete.
- (?c1412) Hoccl.Carpenter (Hnt HM 111)4 : So me werreyeth coynes scarsetee That ny Cousin is to necessitee.
- c1425(a1420) Lydg.TB (Aug A.4)2.7561 : Thelefus..he made..to abide, for þis conclusioun: Þat þoruȝ his helpe & his dilligence, Besynes and discret prouidence, Ageyn al meschef and al skarscite, Whan þei nede, he myȝt her socour be.
- ?a1425(a1400) Brut-1377 (Corp-C 174)292/21 : Þer folwyd in Engelond good chepe and wonder grete plente of chaffaree, vitaile, and marchaundice, and þere aȝens, honger, scrafte [?read: scarste], mischif, and nede of money.
- (?a1439) Lydg.FP (Bod 263)3.69 : Support was non my dulnesse for to guie; Pouert approchid, in stal crokid age..An ebbe off plente, scarsete atte fulle.
- a1450(1408) *Vegetius(1) (Dc 291)98b : Drawe in-to the alle þe vitayles for man & for hors þat is in þe contray aboute þi strengþe, þat þou mowe haue plente wiþynne þe and thyn aduersarie scarste when he cometh.
- a1450 St.Editha (Fst B.3)3517 : Þe kyng ȝaff also to þe Goldsmyȝtthus a gret charge þo To take golde & syluer ryȝt gret plente, & bad hem make hit long & large y-now wt-owten ony scate [read: scarcite].
- c1450(c1390) Chaucer Ven.(Benson-Robinson)80 : To me it ys a gret penaunce, Syth rym in Englissh hath such skarsete, To folowe word by word the curiosite Of Graunson.
- c1450 Spec.Chr.(2) (Hrl 6580)144/12 : The more plenty of delytes and lusty lyuynge ther be here amonge men, so myche more scarcete, wrechednes, turmentes, and payne schal be in helle.
- a1456 Marmaduke SSecr.(Ashm 59)219/26 : Whane any famyne, necessite, or indigent derth or scarcesite, fortuneþe or falleþe in þyne empyres..to þeire hele or releve opun þane þe coffres of þy tresore.
- c1460 Tree & Fruits HG (McC 132)122/24 : Euery perfight soule is myghty and stronge in suffrauns of scarcite.
- a1475(?a1430) Lydg.Pilgr.(Vit C.13)24642 : He was prudent..to provide that Scarsete sholde sodeynly hym not assaille; wherfore he sent his vitaille Into that yle that bareyn was.
- c1475(c1450) Idley Instr.(Cmb Ee.4.37)2.A.2376 : Who that can in a meane haue suffisaunce..That is to sey, sobree in plente, in scarste not excesse, Stondyng in a meane betwene Ioye and woo, [etc.].
b
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)4.87 : Plautus..gronde at þe querne wiþ a bakere for huyre, for hunger and scarsite of corn.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)53b/b : Smalenes of þe pappe tokeneþ scarste of melke.
- ?a1425 Orch.Syon (Hrl 3432)340/9 : As myche he chargiþ tribulacioun as he dooþ cumfort..as myche scarsyte of cloþis as he dooþ plente of cloþis.
- ?c1425 Chauliac(2) (Paris angl.25)142/11 : He wrote many samples of laxatyf medicynes þat scarsete of hem ben noght hadde.
- (1433) RParl.4.445a : The losse that John Roger and other hadde ther late, for lakke and scarcete of helpe of peuple, to withstonde and resiste the malice of youre Enemys.
- (1439) in Willis & C.Cambridge 1p.lvi : Your seyd poure besecher hath founde..lxx scoles voide or mo yat were occupied all at ones within L yeres passed, bicause yat yer is so grete scarstee of maistres of gramer.
- (1444) RParl.5.109a : Which scarcite and wantyng of Half Penyes and Ferthings hath falle, and dayly yet doth, be cause that for their grete Weight, and their finesse of Allay, thei be daily tried and molte.
- c1450(?a1422) Lydg.LOL (Dur-U Cosin V.2.16)3.1716 : Of grace lat be no scarste [vr. scarside], Gode lady, that arte of grace well.
- ?c1450(?a1400) Wycl.Clergy HP (Lamb 551)364 : In full euydence and open tooknynge þat god takiþ þis ordenance in his chirche as full sufficient and in no wise fawtye in scarste or excesse þer-of, criste..techiþ us in all his lawe to kepe & to mayntene þis ordenance with-owten addynge þer-to or abregynge þer-fro.
- (1465) Procl.Edw.IV in Archaeol.12404 : The scarcite of money within this, his reaume..is by cause that tho that shuld bringe bolion may have more for their bolion in other princes myntes than in his.
- c1475(?c1451) Worcester Bk.Noblesse (Roy 18.B.22)65 : Here folowithe the historie of..Marcus Actilius..of his gret providence using in hostes ayenst derthes and startees [read: scarsetees] of cornes, wines, oilis.
- a1500 Let.Alex.(Wor F.172)397 : But it was hard thider to go, for the penurite and scarste of water, and many other Impedymentis.
- a1500 O ye lovers (Corp-O 61)89 : Skaste of hast first ye me cleymed.
c
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)1.265 : Þere is good corn londe and scarsete of trees [Higd.(2): be fewe trees; L arborum rara].
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)140b/a : Alle briddes..whanne þey bryngen forþ briddes leggiþ eiren þogh it be not I-seyne in al for scarste.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)174a/b : In þat londe is scarsete of wyne, of whete, and offe oyle for þe londe is colde.
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)247b/b : A thorne oþer a prikke..is y-made smalle and scharpe atte þe ende for scarsete of matiere.
- ?a1425 *Chauliac(1) (NY 12)122b/a : I thoȝt not a better medicyne to be in fallyng of herez þan þat þat is medled of lapdano & lentiscino, and if charite or scarzte [Ch.(2): scarsenesse; L raritas] war in cause, it were not vncouenable for to medle mirtynus for lentiscinus with lapdano.
- (1446-7) Rec.Norwich 1118 : Item, þat all þe gildes of þe seid Citee from hensforth be putte doune and þat a Reule herafter he [read: be] had amonge Craftes, wher of som iij Craftes and som ij craftes for scarstes of peple be drawen and ioyned into one and som one craft be by it self a craft.
2.
(a) Niggardliness, stinginess; (b) abstemiousness, moderation; also person.; ~ of, abstemiousness in (food, food and drink).
Associated quotations
a
- (c1390) Chaucer CT.Mel.(Manly-Rickert)B.2790 : Men blamen an auaricious man by cause of his scarsitee [vr. scarsede] and chyncherie.
- (a1393) Gower CA (Frf 3)5.4857 : So goth the wrecche loveles, Bejaped for his Skarcete.
- a1450(c1433) Lydg.St.Edm.(Hrl 2278)395/1042 : To parte it forth he was most liberal; In his giftes there was no skarsete.
- a1456(a1449) Lydg.Crab (Trin-C R.3.20)31 : Plentee is founden no mygarde [read: nygarde]; Scarsytee is goone to meschaunce.
- c1450(?a1422) Lydg.LOL (Dur-U Cosin V.2.16)5.241 : For in her present was noo scarcete For of Richez they had all suffisauance.
- c1450 Royal SSecr.(Roy 18.A.7)8/10 : Than if a kyng wolle regne worshipfully, it bihouyth him neyþer to haue that on ne that othir of two vicis, skarste [Lambeth: aueryce] ne fool large.
- c1460 Lydg.ST (Roy 18.D.2)2710 : Scarstye [vrr. scarste, scarsete; Arun: In his courte lat hym first devise To exile scarshed and couetise].
- a1500(1422) Yonge SSecr.(Rwl B.490)130/26 : Nede hit is to witte whate harmes dothe folargesse and scarcite.
b
- (a1387) Trev.Higd.(StJ-C H.1)3.463 : Ȝe preyseþ þe levynge and þe doynge of ȝoure scarste.
- (?a1439) Lydg.FP (Bod 263)7.1279 : Of his diete catour was scarsete, His costful foode was vertuous abstinence.
- a1450 *Aelred Inst.(2) (Bod 423)359 : I write not this forme of lyuynge..only to the that hast euir holde thiself lowe thorugh scarsete of liflode, but to othir whiche konnen not rule hem.
- c1450(c1350) Alex.& D.(Bod 264)871 : Ȝe..skarsete and skaþe unskilfully fonden.
- c1450 Spec.Chr.(2) (Hrl 6580)216/12 : He makez sacrifiez of raueyne that chastise his body out of mesure or wyth to mych scarcite of mete or drynke or of slepe.
- c1460 Tree & Fruits HG (McC 132)137/8 : Scarcite is þe moder of holynes; bi abstinens and bi fastyng ceesyn þe batayles of þe flessh a nemptis þe soule.
- c1460 Tree & Fruits HG (McC 132)137/11 : Scarcite of mete and abstinens of drinke makyn vices to be vnknowyn.
3.
As adj.: small in amount.
Associated quotations
- (a1398) *Trev.Barth.(Add 27944)48b/a : He seiþ þat many femals & many ȝongelinges cryen wiþ a scharpe voys for by febilnes þey meuyth but lite & scarse aier and what is lite & scarste [L paucum] is meued swifteliche.