meagre
UK[ˈmiːɡə(r)]US[ˈmiːɡər]
adj
(of amounts or numbers) very small or not enough
adj
(of people or animals) very thin; not having much flesh
Etymology
The word 'meagre' entered Middle English from Anglo-Norman French 'megre', which itself originated from the Latin 'macer', meaning 'thin, lean, poor'. This Latin term is traced back to the Proto-Indo-European root 'māk-', meaning 'long, thin'. The semantic journey is direct and logical: the ancient concept of physical thinness or leanness (applied to land, harvests, or bodies) evolved seamlessly into the modern abstract meanings of insufficiency and scarcity. Over centuries, its application broadened from describing physical emaciation to characterizing anything deficient in quantity, size, or richness.
Analysis
The word 'meagre' is a simplex word borrowed into English as a complete unit. Its core morpheme is 'meagre', derived from the Anglo-Norman French 'megre', meaning 'thin'.
Examples
The prisoners existed on a meagre diet of bread and water.
Despite his meagre income, he managed to save a little each month.
The investigation uncovered only meagre evidence to support the claim.