scarcen

English

Etymology

From scarce +‎ -en.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈskɛːsən/
• (US) IPA^(key): /ˈskɛɚsən/
• Hyphenation: scarc‧en

Verb

scarcen (third-person singular simple present scarcens, present participle scarcening, simple past and past participle scarcened)

1. (intransitive, dialectal) to become scarce
2. (transitive, dialectal) to make scarce, meager, or lean
   • 1909, Amy Ella Blanchard, Wit's End, page 233:

     "Cap'n Ben says that the steamboats and launches are beginning to scarcen the mackerel and that they are not so plentiful this year as usual."

References

• “scarcen, v.”, in OED Online ⁠, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Oxford University Press, April 2015.

Anagrams

• Cancers, cancers, crances

Middle English

Verb

scarcen

1. Alternative form of sarsen