Where does “scarce” come from?

scarce (Middle English) comes from Old Northern French scars.

scarce (Middle English): Alternative form of sarse

Definitions

  1. Alternative form of sarse

Ancestry of “scarce”, step by step

scarce traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old Northern French scars

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Northern Frenchscars

via Old French escars

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Frenchescars
Every word from Old Northern French scars
scarce — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer