skerrick
A very small amount or portion; the least bit.
From the crate beneath him, Reed fished up a can of aerated mineral water. A label said it had been treated according to most scrupulous hygienic standards. It had been filtered through porcelain and centrifuged until every last skerrick of life had succumbed. Reed read the label and gazed afresh on to the plain of dust. In a world of unscrupulous sterility, skerricks of life down there were scuttling around vigorously.
Where it comes from
Origin uncertain, possibly a variant of scuddick (“(Northern England, Southwestern England, slang) very small amount; small coin or other object”), possibly related to scud (“(UK, dialectal, dated) piece of twisted straw used to stop up a drain”, noun), scud (“(UK, dialectal, dated) to form straw into scuds”, verb); further etymology unknown.
Adapted from the Wiktionary entry skerrick (CC BY-SA 4.0).