paucus

Paucus is a Latin adjective meaning "few, scarce, scanty" and is used in classical Latin to describe small numbers or amounts. It conveys a sense of limited quantity and appears in phrases that express brevity or scarcity, such as in paucis diebus or in paucis annis, meaning "in a few days" or "in a few years."

In Latin, paucus declines as a first/second-declension adjective: paucus, pauca, paucum, with plural forms pauci, paucae, pauca. The adjective can function attributively with nouns (e.g., verba paucis, "few words") and can also appear in the feminine and neuter forms. Its use is typical of formal or literary Latin, including philosophical, legal, and historical texts, where quantity or scarcity is being emphasized.

Modern English usage of paucus is rare outside of quotations or scholarly discussion of Latin grammar. The word is more commonly encountered indirectly through related terms derived from the same root, such as paucity, which denotes an insufficient quantity and derives from paucitas, the noun form of paucus. The prefix pauci- also appears in scientific and academic vocabulary to indicate small numbers or limited diversity.

See also: paucity, pauci- (prefix), paucitas, Latin grammar.