Meager

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈmiːɡɚ/
• Rhymes: -iːɡə(r)

Alternative forms

• meagre Commonwealth English

Origin

From Middle English megre, from Anglo-Norman megre, Old French maigre, from Latin macer, from Proto-Indo-European *mh₂ḱros. Akin, through the Indo-European root, to Old English mæġer ("meager, lean"), West Frisian meager ("meager"), Dutch mager ("meager"), German mager, Old Norse magr whence the Icelandic magur.

Full definition of meager

Adjective

1. Having little flesh; lean; thin.
2. Poor, deficient or inferior in amount, quality or extent; paltry; scanty; inadequate; unsatisfying.A meager piece of cake in one bite.
• 1607, Thomas Walkington, The Optick Glasse of Humors, or, The touchstone of a golden temperature, or ..., ...that begets many ugly and deformed phantasies in the braine, which being also hot and drie in the second extenuates and makes meager the body extraordinarily, ...
• 1637, William Shakespeare, The most excellent Historie of the Merchant of Venice: With the extreame crueltie of Shylocke..., Nor none of thee thou pale and common drudge tween man and man: but thou, thou meager lead which rather threatnest then dost promise ought...

Synonyms

Derived terms

• meagerly
• meagerness

Verb

1. (transitive) To make lean.

Anagrams

• Graeme
• meagre