Noah Webster
Meager
ME'AGER, adjective [Latin macer; Gr. small; allied to Eng. meek.]
1. Thin; lean; destitute of flesh or having little flesh; applied to animals.
Meager were his looks,
Sharp misery had worn him to the bones.
2. Poor; barren; destitute of richness, fertility, or any thing valuable; as a meager soil; meager limestone.
3. Barren; poor; wanting strength of diction, or richness of ideas or imagery; as a meager style or composition; meager annals.
ME'AGER, verb transitive To make lean. [Not used.]