# Scarcity & affluence



## ThomasK

In times of crisis this is a pair of words that may be inspirational. It is not the same as poverty and riches: rich people may suffer scarcity, poor people may find affluence... Affluence rather refers to plenitude, scarcity refers to perception (!) of shortage, often not corresponding with an objective shortage or lack: some people may be rich, but they never have enough, and will always suffer scarcity - whereas some other people need little, and thus enjoy affluence... How do you translate those words? 

Dutch: *schaarste & overvloed *(overflowing, literally). _[Schaarste is not used in other contexts]_


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## apmoy70

In Greek:

*Scarcity*: 
A/ «Έλλειψη» ('elipsi, _f._); Classical third declension feminine noun «ἔλλειψις» ('ĕlleipsīs)--> _falling short, defect_. Compound, prefix and preposition «ἐν» (ĕn)--> _in, into_ + verb «λείπω» ('leipō, 'lipo in the modern language)--> _to leave, leave behind, quit, be absent_ (PIE base *leikʷ-, _to leave behind_). «Έλλειψη» is lit. the insufficiency, shortage, of something required.
B/ «Ανεπάρκεια» (ane'parcia, _f._); Learned (Katharevousa) feminine noun appearing for the first time in 1859 in order to render the medical term "deficiency". Compound, privative prefix «ἀν-» (an-) + Classical adj. «ἐπαρκής, -ής, -ές» (ĕpār'kēs, _m,f_/ĕpār'kĕs, _n._)--> _sufficient_. PIE *ark-, _to hold, contain, guard_.
C/ «Σπανιότητα» (spani'otita, _f._); Classical feminine noun «σπάνις» ('spānīs) or «σπανιότης» (spănĭ'ŏtēs)--> _lack, scarcity, rarity_. With unknown etymology.   

*Affluence*:
A/ «Αφθονία» (afθo'nia, _f._); Classical feminine noun «ἀφθονία» (ăpʰtʰŏ'nīă)--> init. _freedom from envy or grudging_, later, _abundancy, affluence_. Compound, privative prefix «ἀ-» (a-) + masculine noun «φθόνος» (pʰ'tʰŏnŏs, f'θonos in modern pronunciation)--> _envy, grudge_ (PIE base *gʷedh-, _to beat, break, hurt_).
B/ «Ευπορία» (efpo'ria, _f._); Classical feminine noun «εὐπορία» (eupŏ'rīă)--> init. _ease of doing things_, later, _abundance, affluence_. Compound, Classical adv. «εὐ-» (eu-)--> _well_ + masculine noun «πόρος» ('pŏrŏs)--> _way or means of achieving, accomplishing_ (PIE base *per-, _through_). 
C/ «Πλούτος» ('plutos, _m._); Classical masculine noun «πλοῦτος» ('ploutŏs)--> _wealth, riches, abundance, affluence_. PIE base *pleu-, _to flow, float_.

The pair of words that fits in times of crisis, is «Έλλειψη & Αφθονία».


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## ThomasK

Thanks again. Then I guess
- _euporia _is the opposite of _aporia (_the word _aporie _is common in learned Dutch_)
- aneparcia _: could there be a link with the French_ épargner _(save) ? I can't find it, but ... 
- do some of the words in the scarcity refer to lack in a very general sense (I suppose they all do, but scarcity is more general, it seems to me)
- Αφθονία is the perfect word indeed
(Have you seen _Έλλειψη _or _Αφθονία _turn up in recent news reports? I guess not, but just asking)


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## apmoy70

ThomasK said:


> Thanks again. Then I guess
> - _euporia _is the opposite of _aporia (_the word _aporie _is common in learned Dutch_)_


Quite, «απορία» is the total poverty.


ThomasK said:


> _- aneparcia _: could there be a link with the French_ épargner _(save) ? I can't find it, but ...


I really do not know. Babibiotis gives «επάρκεια» (e'parcia) and its opposite, «ανεπάρκεια» (ane'parcia) as cognates to Lat. _arx_, Eng./Fr. _exercise_.


ThomasK said:


> - do some of the words in the scarcity refer to lack in a very general sense (I suppose they all do, but scarcity is more general, it seems to me)


That would be «έλλειψη», it's the broader term.


ThomasK said:


> - Αφθονία is the perfect word indeed
> (Have you seen _Έλλειψη _or _Αφθονία _turn up in recent news reports? I guess not, but just asking)


Yes, we have unfortunately witnessed «έλλειψη» of solidarity and «αφθονία» of resentment from many of our European colleagues


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## ThomasK

Thanks! So: 
- Lat. _arx _is different from _parcere_, which, I believe, means 'to save'. So no link, I think. 
- lack: so only έλλειψη refers to lack really, but I guess you have a very specific term for 'lack' as well... 
- current affairs: it is interesting here that you refer to the concrete meaning (almost like lack/shortage & excess/ surplus [both in a negative sense]); I had been thinking of something different, of the philosophical view, I'd say, referring to *plenitude *(perception of fullness) vs. feeling/ *perception of shortage *('not enough', often not corresponding to an objective lack))


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## jazyk

In Portuguese: escassez/falta/pobreza, etc., and afluência/fartura/riqueza/abundância, etc.


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## ThomasK

Great, thanks, I am not sure but  could *escassez *be most general, more like *wealth*, which can be broader than material wealth?  Or do you have something like *penuria*? --- Other question: would you say *afluência *and *abundância *are more figurative, or broader than _fartura _and _riqueza_?


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## sakvaka

*Finnish*:

_pula, puute_ (shortage, lack, scarcity)

Of these two, the former is usually used in compounds and the latter with genitive case or independently. 

_Kärsin akuutista rahan puutteesta / rahapulasta._I'm suffering from an acute shortage of money.
_Eräitä maita uhkaa työvoimapula, kun väestö ikääntyy. _Some countries are threatened by labour shortage as their population gets older.
_Afrikan sarven alueella miljoonat perheet elävät puutteessa ja hädässä. _In the region of the Horn of Africa, millions of families live in scarcity and distress.

_yltäkylläisyys_ (adverb: _yllin kyllin_)
_
Länsimainen ihminen elää yltäkylläisyydessä (or: yltäkylläisesti)_. Western people live off the fat of the land.
_Meillä on yllin kyllin pohjavettä, mutta Israelissa sen vuoksi käydään sotia._ We are lousy with groundwater but in Israel, they battle for it.


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## ThomasK

I'd like to ask as well if there is some very general word for 'lack'. It is difficult to explain, but scarcity seems to imply that there will never be enough (it can be concrete, but I am looking for a very abstract idea of not/ never having enough). Think of rich people having so much but experiencing scarcity, needing more. But maybe there isn't in Finnish. 

_yltäkylläisyys_ might very well be the word. I also found _ylenpalttisuus_, something like 'wealth', I guess.


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## sakvaka

Oh, yes, _ylenpalttinen_, which Wiktionary defines as 'lavish (superabundant; excessive)'. It has a few main uses: with nouns derived from verbs (_ylenpalttinen hikoilu, haukottelu, syöminen_ - sweating, yawning, eating), with the words _määrä_ (amount) and _runsaus_ (plentiness), and in the exclamation _Tämä on aivan ylenpalttista!_ (This is abundantly luxurious!). However, in the first meaning, it is a bit rare. We are inclined to say _liiallinen_ (excessive) _hikoilu, haukottelu_.


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## ThomasK

ON the other hand that is not the intended meaning, I am afraid: just abundance would do. Abundance is like magic: it is like feeling peace in little, relatively little, not in lavish wealth. But in the ordinary meaning, yes, it could be superabundance...


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## rusita preciosa

Russian:
Affluence:
достаток /dost*a*tok/ - lit. "sufficient-ness"
благополучие /blagopol*u*tchie/ - lit. "well-receive-ness" (well-being, prosperity)
богатство /bog*a*tstvo/- lit. richness
Scarcity:
недостаток /nedost*a*tok/ - lit. opposite of достаток, "not-sufficient-ness" 
дефицит /defits*i*t/ - lit. deficit
нехватка /nekhv*a*tka/ - lit. "not-enough-ness"


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## ThomasK

Which one is the least concrete, the most abstract, M ? (Thanks !)


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## Nizo

I think the best words in Esperanto for these concepts are *manko* (scarcity) and *riĉeco* (affluence).  There might be other options as well, but these seem to me to convey the correct sense.


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## apmoy70

ThomasK said:


> - lack: so only έλλειψη refers to lack really, but I guess you have a very specific term for 'lack' as well...


Yes we do have a separate word for lack/lacking:
«Απουσία» (apu'sia, _f._). Classical feminine noun «ἀπουσία» (ā'pousīă)--> _absence, waste, lack_; compound, prefix and preposition «ἀπὸ» (ā'pŏ)--> _from, asunder, finishing, completing, back again_ (PIE base *apo-, _off, away_) + Classical feminine noun «οὐσία» (ou'sīă, u'sia in Modern Greek)--> _substance, essence_ (PIE base *es-, _to be_). 


ThomasK said:


> - current affairs: it is interesting here that you refer to the concrete meaning (almost like lack/shortage & excess/ surplus [both in a negative sense]); I had been thinking of something different, of the philosophical view, I'd say, referring to *plenitude *(perception of fullness) vs. feeling/ *perception of shortage *('not enough', often not corresponding to an objective lack))


That would be «πληρότητα» (pli'rotita, _f._); Classical feminine noun «πληρότης» (plē'rŏtēs)--> _fullness_. A derivation of the verb «πληρόω/πληρῶ» (plē'rŏō [uncontracted]/plē'rō [contracted])--> _to fill full, complete_ (in Modern Greek the verb is «πληρώνω», pli'rono which means _to fill full_ but also _to pay_; probably because when you pay someone you fill full his/her pockets  ). PIE base *plā-, _to fill_.
Its opposite is «κενότητα» (ce'notita, _f._); Classical feminine noun «κενότης» (kĕ'nŏtēs)--> _emptyness_. PIE base *ḱen-, _empty, null_


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## ThomasK

The funny thing is that *luxury*, which we might consider a synonym of abundance or affluence, is considered a vice, no, a deadly sin, in Christianity, *luxuria *(self-indulgence sexual desire, so it seems, but simply also going too far in one's enjoyment of worldly goods) and refers to dislocation, possibly as a possible result of _luctari_, wrestling.


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## apmoy70

ThomasK said:


> The funny thing is that *luxury*, which we might consider a synonym of abundance or affluence, is considered a vice, no, a deadly sin, in Christianity, *luxuria *(self-indulgence sexual desire, so it seems, but simply also going too far in one's enjoyment of worldly goods) and refers to dislocation, possibly as a possible result of _luctari_, wrestling.



In Modern Greek, luxury is «πολυτέλεια» /poli'telia/ an ancient feminine noun («πολυτέλεια», pŏlŭ'tĕleiă) with original meaning _costliness, great expense_; compound, adv. «πολὺ» (pŏ'lŭ)--> _much_ (PIE base *pel- (1)/*plā-, _to pour_) + neuter noun «τέλος» ('tĕlŏs)--> _due, expenditure_ (we've discussed about «τέλος» here & here). Slowly, in Classical times, the concept of extravagnce turned synonymous with «πολυτέλεια». Thus, Xenophon in his _Memorabilia_ writes: 


			
				Xenophon said:
			
		

> -Ἑοικας, ὦ Ἀντιφῶν, τὴν εὐδαιμονίαν οἰομένῳ τρυφὴν καὶ πολυτέλειαν εἶναι·
> -You, Antiphon, would seem to suggest that happiness consists of luxury and extravagance; (Book 1:6:5)



In the ancient language, the feminine noun «τρυφή» (trū'pʰē) defined the luxurious living too (PIE base *dʰreu-, _to drop_) which in the modern language has become «τρυφηλότητα» /trifi'lotita/ and describes the lack of strength of character, the softness, spiritless.
But I'm afraid I've strayed away from the original topic.


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## ThomasK

In the end you'll be able to rewrite the Greek dictionary from a global perspective - and include some literary excursions (not digressions !) ;-) 

*'τέλος" *seems to have numerous meanings, for example. The term *'πολυτέλεια' *seems to be quite negative. For a sec I thought it meant 'having too many objectives in mind'. How could you then describe *'τρυφηλότητα' *literally ? Dropping one's objectives ? -- I sincerely believe that these contributions do not stray away from the original term 'abundance': we're exploring a side aspect of it.


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## francisgranada

Hungarian:

nélkülözés, hiány - scarsity
bővelkedés, bőség- affluence

szegénység - poverty
gazdagság - riches


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## ThomasK

Could you tell us more about the origin, the root, fo the first two words? I tried Google Translate, and found something like 'with us', 'kédes' as growth, 'hiá' lack, etc. Do they make sense ?


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## francisgranada

nélkül - without
nélkülözni - to be without something, to suffer from the absence/lack, i.e. of the things that are necessary/indispensable
nélkülözés - noun from the preceding verb

hiány - lack, missing ...
hiányos - insufficient ...

bő - wide, loose, broad, abundant ...
bőség - abundance, affluence
bővelkedni - to be in the situation/state of abundance, affluence ...
bővelkedés- noun from the preceding verb


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## ger4

These German terms might fit in here:
- _Überfluss_ - (lit. 'over_flood') - 'affluence', 'abundance'
- _Wohlstand_ - (lit. 'well_stand') - 'prosperity'
- _Mangel_ - (lit. 'lack') - 'scarcity'


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## 810senior

*Japanese:
*Scarcity:欠乏_ketsubou　_(欠_ketsu_:lack, 乏_bou_:meager; lit. lacking and meager)
Affluence:豊富_houfu _(豊_hou_:abundant 富_fu_:wealth lit. abundant in wealth)


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