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.
雙語例句
1. He was a tubby little man in his fifties, with sparse hair.
他50來歲，頭發稀疏，身材矮胖。
來自柯林斯例句
2. Many slopes are rock fields with sparse vegetation.
許多山坡都是石頭地，植被稀疏。
來自柯林斯例句
3. The sparse line of spectators noticed nothing unusual.