Definition

(Noun) Smallness of quantity or size; thinness; the presence of something in only small amounts; scantiness; a small or scant quantity.

In Context

“He had the best library for miles around, yet still there was a paucity of books, a paucity that he turned into an opportunity.”

Robert L. Dorman, A Word for Nature: Four Pioneering Environmental Advocates, 1845-1913, 1998.