1727, from Latin sparsus "scattered," past participle of spargere "to scatter, spread," from PIE root *(s)preg- (2) "to jerk, scatter" (cognates: Sanskrit parjanya- "rain, rain god," Avestan fra-sparega "branch, twig," literally "that which is jerked off a tree," Old Norse freknur "freckles," Swedish dialectal sprygg "brisk, active," Lithuanian sprogti "shoot, bud," Old Irish arg "a drop"). The word is found earlier in English as a verb, "to scatter abroad" (16c.). Related: Sparsely; sparseness.
sparse 双语例句
1. He was a tubby little man in his fifties, with sparse hair.
他50来岁，头发稀疏，身材矮胖。
来自柯林斯例句
2. Many slopes are rock fields with sparse vegetation.
许多山坡都是石头地，植被稀疏。
来自柯林斯例句
3. The sparse line of spectators noticed nothing unusual.