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Smell vs Scant - What's the difference?

smell | scant |

In transitive terms the difference between smell and scant

is that smell is to sense a smell or smells while scant is to limit in amount or share; to stint.

In intransitive terms the difference between smell and scant

is that smell is to have a particular smell, whether good or bad; if descriptive, followed by "like" or "of" while scant is to fail, or become less; to scantle.

As an adjective scant is

very little, very few.

As an adverb scant is

with difficulty; scarcely; hardly.

smell

English

Noun

  • A sensation, pleasant or unpleasant, detected by inhaling air (or, the case of water-breathing animals, water) carrying airborne molecules of a substance.
    • I love the smell of fresh bread.
  • * 1908 , (Kenneth Grahame), (The Wind in the Willows)
    • The penetrating smell' of cabbage reached the nose of Toad as he lay prostrate in his misery on the floor, and gave him the idea for a moment that perhaps life was not such a blank and desperate thing as he had imagined. But still he wailed, and kicked with his legs, and refused to be comforted. So the wise girl retired for the time, but, of course, a good deal of the ' smell of hot cabbage remained behind, as it will do, and Toad, between his sobs, sniffed and reflected, and gradually began to think new and inspiring thoughts: of chivalry, and poetry...
  • (physiology) The sense that detects odours.

    • Usage notes

    * Adjectives often applied to "smell": sweet, good, nice, great, pleasant, fresh, fragrant, bad, foul, unpleasant, horrible, terrible, awful, nasty, disgusting, funny, strange, odd, sour, funky, metallic, stinky, rotten, rancid, putrid, rank, fishy.

    Synonyms

    * (sensation) ** (pleasant) aroma, fragrance, odor/odour, scent ** (unpleasant) odor/odour, niff (informal), pong (informal), reek, stench, stink, whiff (informal) * (sense) olfaction (in technical use), sense of smell * See also

    Verb

  • To sense a smell or smells.
  • To have a particular smell, whether good or bad; if descriptive, followed by "like" or "of".
  • * , chapter=8
    • , title= Mr. Pratt's Patients , passage=Philander went into the next room
  • (without a modifier) To smell bad; to stink.
  • (figurative) To have a particular tincture or smack of any quality; to savour.
  • * (John Milton)
    • Praises in an enemy are superfluous, or smell of craft.
  • (obsolete) To exercise sagacity.
    • (Shakespeare)
  • To detect or perceive; often with out .
  • * Shakespeare
    • I smell a device.
  • (obsolete) To give heed to.
  • * Latimer
    • From that time forward I began to smell the Word of God, and forsook the school doctors.

    Usage notes

    The sense "to smell bad, stink" is considered by some to be an incorrect substitute for stink.

    Synonyms

    * (sense a smell or smells) detect, sense * (have the smell of) (all followed by'' like''' ''or'' ' of ) ** (pleasant) ** (unpleasant) pong (informal), reek, stink, whiff (informal)

    Derived terms

    * code smells * sense of smell (see olfaction) * smell a rat * smell blood * smell like a rose * smell of an oily rag * smell test * smell the barn * smelly * wake up and smell the coffee

    See also

    * anosmia * sense

    References

    * *

    Anagrams

    * English irregular verbs 1000 English basic words

    scant

    English

    Adjective

    (er)
  • Very little, very few.
    • "After his previous escapades, Mary had scant reason to believe John."
  • Not full, large, or plentiful; scarcely sufficient; scanty; meager; not enough.
    • a scant''' allowance of provisions or water; a '''scant pattern of cloth for a garment
  • * Ridley
    • His sermon was scant , in all, a quarter of an hour.
  • Sparing; parsimonious; chary.
  • * Shakespeare
    • Be somewhat scanter of your maiden presence.

    Synonyms

    * few, little, slight * (l)

    Antonyms

    * ample, plenty

    Derived terms

    * scanty

    Related terms

    * scantily

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To limit in amount or share; to stint.
    • to scant''' someone in provisions; to '''scant ourselves in the use of necessaries
  • * Shakespeare
    • Scant not my cups.
  • * Francis Bacon
    • where man hath a great living laid together and where he is scanted
  • * Dryden
    • I am scanted in the pleasure of dwelling on your actions.
  • To fail, or become less; to scantle.
    • The wind scants .

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (masonry) A block of stone sawn on two sides down to the bed level.
  • (masonry) A sheet of stone.
  • (wood) A slightly thinner measurement of a standard wood size.

    • Quotations

    * (English Citations of "scant")

    Adverb

    (-)
  • With difficulty; scarcely; hardly.
  • * Fuller
    • So weak that he was scant able to go down the stairs.
    (Francis Bacon)

    Anagrams

    * *