sparse

Where does the word "sparse" come from? It comes from Latin spargere, passing through Latin before entering English (1700s).

Sparse’s story begins in Latin: spargere meant “to scatter, to sprinkle.” The root of 'disperse' and 'aspersion'. Within Latin, it grew into sparsus by ancient. Scattered, sprinkled, past participle of spargere. It reached English by 1700s as sparse. Settled as the English word for something thinly distributed over an area. Today, sparse means thinly scattered or distributed over an area.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient spargere "to scatter, to sprinkle", the root of 'disperse' and 'aspersion'.
2. Stage 2 · Latin · ancient sparsus "scattered, sprinkled", scattered, sprinkled, past participle of spargere.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1700s sparse "thinly distributed or scattered over an area", settled as the English word for something thinly distributed over an area.