sparse etymology

Etymology:

• Late Latin sparsus "scattered, dispersed" (source of French épars, Spanish escaso)
• Latin spargere "to scatter" (source of English disperse)
• Proto-Indo-European root sper-, meaning "to disperse"

Meaning:

• thinly distributed or scattered
• infrequent or isolated
• not dense or concentrated

Origin:

The word "sparse" entered English in the 14th century from Old French espars. It is ultimately derived from the Proto-Indo-European root sper-, which also gave rise to the words "disperse" and "sprinkle."

Additional Information:

• The term "sparse matrix" in mathematics refers to a matrix with a large number of zero elements.
• In computer science, "sparse data" refers to data with a high proportion of missing or empty values.
• In statistics, "sparse contingency table" refers to a contingency table with a large number of zero entries.

sparse relate terms

• asperges

  Etymology and Origin Asperges is a Latin word that literally means to sprinkle It is

• sparse

  Etymology Late Latin sparsus scattered dispersed source of French épars Spanish e

• aspersion

  Etymology Latin aspersio from aspergere meaning to sprinkle or to scatter Pr

• sparse

  Etymology Late Latin sparsus scattered dispersed source of French épars Spanish e

• diaspora

  Etymology The word diaspora originates from the Greek word διασπορά diaspora

• disperse

  Etymology Latin dispersus past participle of dispergere to scatter disperse Proto I

• dispersion

  Etymology Latin dispersio from dispergere to scatter Proto Indo European sper t

• thin

  Etymology The word thin is derived from the Old English word þynne which is itself

• sheer

  Etymology The word sheer has its origins in the Old English word scīr meaning pure

• rare

  Etymology The word rare comes from the Latin word rarus which means thin scattered

• clear

  Etymology Originates from Latin clarus meaning bright clear or shining Mea

• hint

  Etymology Old English hynt Middle English hent Meaning A suggestion or clue that

• sojourn

  Etymology Old French sojornee Late Latin subdiurnatus Latin sub meaning und

• answer

  Etymology Meaning A response to a question or request Origin The word answer come