The Only Use of
meager
in
Romeo and Juliet
- I do remember an apothecary,—And hereabouts he dwells,—which late I noted
In tatter'd weeds, with overwhelming brows,
Culling of simples; meagre were his looks,
Sharp misery had worn him to the bones;
And in his needy shop a tortoise hung,
An alligator stuff'd, and other skins
Of ill-shaped fishes; and about his shelves
A beggarly account of empty boxes,
Green earthen pots, bladders, and musty seeds,
Remnants of packthread, and old cakes of roses,
Were thinly scatter'd, to make up a show.†Scene 5.1meagre = lacking in quantity or qualityunconventional spelling: This is a British spelling. Americans use meager.
Definitions:
-
(1)
(meager) lacking in quantity or quality
-
(2)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) meaning too rare to warrant focus:
Much more rarely, meager can describe someone as very thin.