Where does “sparsely” come from?
Sparsely comes from English sparse, from Latin sparsus, from Latin spargo, ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European roots meaning to scatter or spread.
sparsely (English): In a scattered or sparse manner; widely apart;...
Definitions
- In a scattered or sparse manner; widely apart;...
Ancestry of “sparsely”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | -ly | Used to form adjectives from nouns, the... |
| 2 | English | grisly | Horrifyingly repellent; gruesome, terrifying;... |
| 3 | Middle English | grisely | — |
| 4 | Old English | grisliċ | grisly, horrible; dreadful, horrid |
| 5 | Old English | -līċ | suffix forming {{glossary|adjective}}s meaning... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | *-līk | — |