English → Latin
“scarce” in Latin
rārusscattered; far apart; seldom; few; rare; uncommonangustusnarrow, close, contracted, constricted, confined, small, not spacious; narrow, strait; short, brieftenuisthin, slender, slim, lank; especially; fine, rare, thin; pure, clear, not coarse; weak, feeble, tenuouscōpiōsuscopious, plentiful, abundant; prolific; eloquent
The English word scarce itself goes back to Latin carpō, through *scarpsus.
Riddle & Arnold A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon, 1864
scarce
rarus (found only seldom, or in small quantities; happening but seldom, etc.): angustus (e.g., res frumentaria): tenuis (opposed to amplus, copiosus). (The words are found in this connection and order.) tenuis et exiguus. Vid: also, RARE.
Quick answer
- What is the Latin word for scarce?
- The usual Latin words for “scarce” are rārus, angustus, tenuis; also cōpiōsus. The right choice depends on the sense; see the distinctions below.
Entry from J. E. Riddle & T. K. Arnold, A Copious and Critical English–Latin Lexicon (rev. C. Anthon, New York: Harper, 1864), digitised by Fergus J. P. Walsh, CC BY-SA 4.0; Latin markup adapted by latindictionary.co.