Where does “sparse” come from?
sparse (Italian) comes from Italian sparso, from Latin sparsus, from Latin spargo, from Proto-Indo-European (s)pregʰ- — to scatter, to jerk.
sparse (Italian): third-person singular past historic of spargere;...
Definitions
- third-person singular past historic of spargere;...
Ancestry of “sparse”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Italian | sparso | past participle of spargere; past participle of... |
| 2 | Latin | sparsus | scattered, strewn, sprinkled; spotted, freckled |
| 3 | Latin | spargo | I scatter, strew, sprinkle |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)pregʰ- | to scatter, to jerk |