What does paucity mean?
Word: Paucity
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Paucity means a very small amount of something, or too little of it. It is a formal word.
Synonyms: scarcity, dearth, shortage
Antonyms: plenty
Word origin: From Latin paucitas, from paucus, 'few'.
How do you spell paucity?
Syllables: pau - ci - ty
Tricky part: The 'aw' sound after the p is spelt au, as in pause and sauce, not aw or or.
Watch out for: pawcity, porcity, pawsity
Memory tip: Press pause and listen: a quiet room has a paucity of sound. Pause gives you the opening p-a-u.
Paucity in a sentence
Example 1: The paucity of shade on the new playground sends children rushing indoors at noon.
Example 2: Forest officers counted very few tigers here before the reserve was set up, but that paucity is now a thing of the past.
Example 3: Despite a paucity of time, the team finished its science model before the bell.
Fun Fact
The Latin word paucus, 'few', also lives on in music: the Italian direction poco a poco, 'little by little', comes from it and tells players to change speed or loudness gradually.
Practise the CREST Way
Jumble Tumble
What is the meaning of the word that can be formed from the given letters?
ytacuip
a) the ability to keep going without giving up
b) a short rest in the middle of an activity
c) too little of something
d) a feeling of great pride
Show answer
c) too little of something. The letters rearrange to paucity, a formal word for a shortage.
Spellacadabra
Choose the correct option to make a meaningful word:
pau_____
a) sity
b) city
c) cety
d) sety
Show answer
b) city. The soft 's' sound here comes from a c, followed by -ity, just as in scarcity.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with the correct options:
1. paucity 2. frugal 3. timid a. bold b. abundance c. wasteful
a) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
b) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
c) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
d) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
Show answer
d) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a. Each word is paired with its opposite: paucity with abundance, frugal with wasteful, timid with bold.
Spell Spies
Choose the misspelt word/s in the given sentence:
There was such a paucity of volunteers at the beach clean-up that the organisors had to call their nieghbours for help.
a) only organisors
b) only paucity
c) organisors and nieghbours
d) paucity and nieghbours
Show answer
c) organisors and nieghbours. Organisers is organise + -ers, and neighbours follows the 'e before i' exception, as in weigh.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Paucity is a formal word. Which everyday word could replace it in 'a paucity of ideas'?
a) lack
b) collection
c) flood
d) mixture
Show answer
a) lack
2. Which of these situations shows a paucity of something?
a) a classroom full of eager students
b) a library with three books on its shelves
c) a garden crowded with flowers of every colour
d) a market overflowing with fresh mangoes
Show answer
b) a library with three books on its shelves
