Exiguous
[ek-SIG-yoo-əs]
Part of speech: adjective
Origin: Latin, mid 17th century
1.
Very small in size or amount.
Examples of Exiguous in a sentence
"The teacher is applying for a grant to supplement the exiguous resources."
"The recipe called for an exiguous amount of baking soda."
About Exiguous
This word stems from the Latin “exiguus,” meaning “scanty.” Originally from “exigere,” meaning “weigh exactly.”
Did you Know?
At first glance, you might think that “exiguous” sounds like a word that means expansive, extensive, or excess — essentially, more — because of the “ex-” prefix. But “ex-” in English usually means “out of” or “from.” It can also mean “upwards,” “completely,” “deprived of,” “without,” or “former.” The word’s root verb, “exigere,” can mean “to weigh or measure.” This idea of measuring precisely likely gave “exiguous” its current sense of stinginess.
