Scrimp

//skɹɪmp// adj, noun, verb

Definitions

Adjective
  1. 1
    Short; scanty; curtailed.
Noun
  1. 1
    A pinching miser; a niggard.
Verb
  1. 1
    To make too small or short; to shortchange. sometimes, transitive, with-on

    "to scrimp the pattern of a coat"

  2. 2
    subsist on a meager allowance wordnet
  3. 3
    To limit or straiten; to put on short allowance. transitive

    "For, as a general thing, the English merchant-ship scrimps her crew; but not so the English whaler."

  4. 4
    To be frugal, whether to a reasonable and wise extent or to a miserly and unwise extent. intransitive

    "“Oh, Electra, jewel of women, darling of my heart, we are free at last, we roll in wealth, we need never scrimp again. It's a case for Veuve Cliquot!”"

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Scots scrimp (“meager”), from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German schrimpen (“to shrivel up, wrinkle”), from Old Dutch *scrimpan, from Frankish *skrimpan, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *skrimpaną (“to shrink”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to cut off”), related to Old English sċrimman (“to shrink”) and sċrincan (“to shrivel up”). Doublet of shrink, shrimp, and shrim.

Etymology 2

From Scots scrimp (“meager”), from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German schrimpen (“to shrivel up, wrinkle”), from Old Dutch *scrimpan, from Frankish *skrimpan, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *skrimpaną (“to shrink”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to cut off”), related to Old English sċrimman (“to shrink”) and sċrincan (“to shrivel up”). Doublet of shrink, shrimp, and shrim.

Etymology 3

From Scots scrimp (“meager”), from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German schrimpen (“to shrivel up, wrinkle”), from Old Dutch *scrimpan, from Frankish *skrimpan, ultimately from Proto-Germanic *skrimpaną (“to shrink”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ker- (“to cut off”), related to Old English sċrimman (“to shrink”) and sċrincan (“to shrivel up”). Doublet of shrink, shrimp, and shrim.

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