scantling

Syllables: scant·ling/ˈskæntlɪŋ/

scantling noun: the set size or dimension of a piece of timber, stone etc., or materials used to build ships or aircraft.

Noun

scantling (countable and uncountable, plural scantlings)

(in plural) The set size or dimension of a piece of timber, stone etc., or materials used to build ships or aircraft.
(archaic) A small portion, a scant amount.
- For one may have particular knowledge of the nature of one river, and experience of the qualitie of one fountaine, that in other things knowes no more than another man: who neverthelesse to publish this little scantling, will undertake to write all of the Physickes., Folio Society, 2006, vol.1, p.204
- Such as exceed not this scantling, to be solace to the sovereign and harmless to the people.1625, Francis [Bacon], “Of Honor and Reputation”, in The Essayes […], 3rd edition, London: […] Iohn Haviland for Hanna Barret, →OCLC
Synonyms:

jot, tidbit, ace, atom, thought, atomy, aught, bissel, continental, bit
A small, upright beam of timber used in construction, especially less than five inches square.
(uncountable) Timber in the form of small beams and pieces.
- Victor, with hammer and nails and scraps of scantling, was patching a corner of one of the galleries.1899, Kate Chopin, The Awakening
(obsolete) A rough draught; a crude sketch or outline.

Synonyms:

catagraph, jotting, precedent, thumbnail
(obsolete) A frame for casks to lie upon; a trestle.
- These casks should be placed upon scantling or scaffolding , and not upon the ground in the cellar1855, The Vine

Adjective

scantling (comparative more scantling, superlative most scantling)

Not plentiful; small; scanty.
- Heav'ns Glorie to atchieve, what scantling Span Hath the frail Pilgrimage of Man!1652, Edward Benlowes, Theophila
Synonyms:

awanting, deficient, dismal, exiguous, geason, inadequate, insufficient, lank, lean, lousy

scantling meaning in Tamil

scantling in Tamil

அரிகம்பை, சிற்றளவல், சிற்றளவுமரங்கள், பரிமாணங்கள்

Synonyms of scantling

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All synonyms of scantling

Forms of scantling

Noun
plural	scantlings
Adjective
comparative	more scantling
superlative	most scantling

Origin of scantling

Alteration of scantillon + -ling, from Old French escantillon (“sample pattern”) (Modern French échantillon). Later senses also influenced by similarity with scant.

Words formed from scantling

scantlinged

Questions about scantling

What does scantling mean?: Scantling means the set size or dimension of a piece of timber, stone etc., or materials used to build ships or aircraft.
What is scantling in Tamil?: Scantling in Tamil is அரிகம்பை, சிற்றளவல், சிற்றளவுமரங்கள். See Scantling meaning in Tamil.
What part of speech is scantling?: Scantling can be a noun or an adjective.
How do you pronounce scantling?: Scantling is pronounced /ˈskæntlɪŋ/.
What is the plural of scantling?: The plural of scantling is scantlings.

Words near scantling in the dictionary

Adapted from Wiktionary: scantling (page history and authors); scantling (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-scantling.wav.

Cite this entry: “scantling.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/scantling. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.