hardscrabble marginal

hardscrabble marginal
Meager Mea"ger, Meagre Mea"gre, a. [OE. merge, F. maigre, L. macer; akin to D. & G. mager, Icel. magr, and prob. to Gr. makro`s long. Cf. {Emaciate}, {Maigre}.] [1913 Webster] 1. Destitue of, or having little, flesh; lean. [1913 Webster]

Meager were his looks; Sharp misery had worn him to the bones. --Shak. [1913 Webster]

2. Destitute of richness, fertility, strength, or the like; defective in quantity, or poor in quality; poor; barren; scanty in ideas; wanting strength of diction or affluence of imagery; as, meager resources; meager fare. Opposite of {ample}. [WordNet sense 1] [Narrower terms: {exiguous}] [Narrower terms: {hardscrabble, marginal}] [Narrower terms: {measly, miserable, paltry}] ``Meager soil.'' --Dryden.

Syn: meagre, meagerly, scanty. [1913 Webster]

Of secular habits and meager religious belief. --I. Taylor. [1913 Webster]

His education had been but meager. --Motley. [1913 Webster]

3. (Min.) Dry and harsh to the touch, as chalk. [1913 Webster]

4. less than a desirable amount; -- of items distributed from a larger supply. [WordNet sense 2]

Syn: scrimpy, skimpy, skimping. [WordNet 1.5]

Syn: Thin; lean; lank; gaunt; starved; hungry; poor; emaciated; scanty; barren. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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