scarcity

Definition

The condition of something being scarce or deficient.

Etymology

From Old Northern French escarcete; by surface analysis, scarce + -ity.

Example Sentences

• "Praise […] owes its value only to its scarcity."
• "To understand the events of the next fifty years, then, one must understand environmental scarcity, cultural and racial clash, geographic destiny, and the transformation of war."
• "a scarcity of grain"