n. 1. A very small amount; a modicum. 2. A small timber used in construction. 3. The dimensions of a building material, especially the width and thickness of a timber. 4. often scantings Nautical The dimensions of the structural parts of a vessel. [Alteration of Middle English scantlon, scantilon, carpenter's gauge, from Old French escantillon, alteration of *eschandillon, from Late Latin *scandiculum, alteration of scandāculum, ladder, gauge, from Latin scandere, to climb; see skand- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2022 by HarperCollins Publishers. All rights reserved.