"稀疏的,相距很遠的,廣泛分散的",1727年,源自拉丁語 sparsus "分散的",過去分詞 spargere "散佈,傳播,淋浴"。根據德·範(de Vaan)的說法,這來自原意語 *sparg-, 源自 PIE *sp(e)rg- "撒播",擴展形式爲 *sper- "傳播,播種"的詞根(源頭還包括赫梯語 išpar- "展開,散佈"; 希臘語 speirein "撒播,播種", spora "散佈,播種", sperma "精液,種子",字面意思是"被散佈的東西")。
Sparse has been regarded, falsely, as an Americanism, and has been objected to as being exactly equivalent to scattered, and therefore unnecessary. As a merely qualifying adjective, however, it is free from the possible ambiguity in the participial form and consequent verbal implication of scattered. [Century Dictionary, 1895]
Sparse 被錯誤地認爲是美國俚語,並被認爲與 scattered 完全等同,因此是不必要的。然而,作爲一個僅僅修飾的形容詞,它不會出現 scattered 的可能歧義和隨之而來的動詞暗示。[世紀詞典,1895年]
這個詞在英語中早期作爲動詞出現,意爲"散佈"(16世紀)。相關詞彙: Sparsely; sparseness; sparsity。