Word of the day: Exiguous

Exiguous

[ek-SIG-yoo-əs]

Part of speech: adjective

Origin: Latin, mid-17th century

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.” “Exiguus” came from “exigere,” meaning “weigh exactly.”

Did you Know?

At first glance, “exiguous” might appear like a word that means “expansive,” “extensive,” or “excess” — essentially, “more.” But the “ex-” prefix in this context means “completely,” and the word’s root verb, “exigere,” means “to weigh or measure.” This idea of measuring precisely gave “exiguous” its current sense of scantness or stinginess.