paucity

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for December 8, 2020 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>paucity</strong> &#149; \PAW-suh-tee\&nbsp; &#149; <em>noun</em><br /> <p><strong>1 :</strong> smallness of number <strong>:</strong> <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fewness">fewness</a></p> <p><strong>2 :</strong> smallness of quantity <strong>:</strong> <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dearth">dearth</a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>The manager overheard two customers complaining about the <em>paucity</em> of stylish designs in the store.</p> <p>"But <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dire%20wolf">dire wolves</a>, which were about 25 percent heavier than gray wolves, never flourished in Asia, Dr. Ni and his collaborators suggested, based on the <em>paucity</em> of fossils found there (this is the first)." — <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/15/science/dire-wolf-fossil-china.html#:~:text=That's%20probably%20because%20dire%20wolves,extract%20their%20nutrient%2Dladen%20marrow.">Katherine Kornei, <em>The New York Times</em>, 15 Oct. 2020</a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p>Here's a little information about <em>paucity</em>: the word was first recorded in English in the 15th century, and it comes to us from the Latin <em>paucitas</em> ("smallness of number"), which is derived from the adjective <em>paucus</em> ("little"). The word's origin informs its use; <em>paucity</em> can be used to refer to a littleness of numbers (as in "a paucity of facts/studies") or quantity ("a paucity of evidence"), or one can use <em>paucity</em> when speaking of abstract concepts, as in "a paucity of experience/knowledge."</p> <br /><br /> </p> </font>