Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English homepage

Date: 1200-1300
Language: Old North French
Origin: escars, from Vulgar Latin excarpsus 'pulled out', from Latin excerpere; EXCERPT

scarce

1 adjective
     
scarce1 comparative scarcer, superlative scarcest
1 if something is scarce, there is not very much of it available:
Food was often scarce in the winter.
There was fierce competition for the scarce resources.
2

make yourself scarce

informal to leave a place, especially in order to avoid an unpleasant situation:
I decided it was time to make myself scarce.
Definition from the Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
 
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