paucity
scarcity or a too-small amount
Root
- pauc: few, scarce, or too little
Other words with the pauc root
- pauciloquent: using few words
Pauc means few. Paucity is the uncomfortable gap between what you need and how little is there.
The essay made a bold claim, but the paucity of evidence made it collapse.
The useful image is fewness: not enough examples, not enough time, not enough proof.
Pauciloquent uses the same fewness in speech: few words. Paucity uses it in supply: too little of something that matters.