meagre

Meanings

Noun

• Argyrosomus regius (species), an edible fish of the family Sciaenidae.

Adjective

• Having little flesh; lean; thin.
• Deficient or inferior in amount, quality or extent
• Of a set: such that, considered as a subset of a (usually larger) topological space, it is in a precise sense small or negligible.
• Dry and harsh to the touch (e.g., as chalk).

Verb

• To make lean.

Related

Similar words

• salmon-basse, shade-fish, stone basse

Broader meaning words

• croaker, drum, drumfish, hardhead, sciaenid

Origin

• From Middle French maigre.
• From Middle English megre, borrowed from Anglo-Norman megre, Old French maigre, from Latin macer, from Proto-Indo-European *mh₂ḱrós. Cognate with Old English mæġer ("meagre, lean"), Dutch mager ("lean"), German mager ("lean"), Icelandic magur ("lean").