scar·ci·ty /ˈskeəsətɪ/ n. 1. 缺乏；不足；供不应求；荒歉(时期) scarcities of all kinds of necessary goods 各种必需货品的供不应求 a scarcity of rain 雨水不足 a scarcity of teachers 师资缺乏 The scarcity of fruit was caused by the drought. 水果歉收系旱灾所致。 2. 罕见，难得 The price of an old edition of a book is determined by its scarcity. 旧版书的价格视其稀罕程度而定。 Uranium is an expensive metal because of its scarcity. 因为稀有，铀是一种很贵的金属。