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sparsity

 - 3 dictionary results

sparse

  [spahrs] ,
–adjective, spars⋅er, spars⋅est.
1. thinly scattered or distributed: a sparse population.
2. not thick or dense; thin: sparse hair.
3. scanty; meager.
Use sparsity in a Sentence
Origin:
1715–25; < L sparsus, ptp. of spargere to scatter, sparge

Related forms:
sparsely, adverb
sparseness, spar⋅si⋅ty  [spahr-si-tee] , noun

Synonyms:
1–3. See scanty.

Antonyms:
1–3. abundant.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
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sparse   (spärs)   
adj.   spars·er, spars·est
Occurring, growing, or settled at widely spaced intervals; not thick or dense.

[Latin sparsus, past participle of spargere, to scatter.]
sparse'ly adv., sparse'ness, spar'si·ty (spär'sĭ-tē) n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

sparse 
1727, from L. sparsus "scattered," pp. of spargere "to scatter, spread," from PIE base *(s)pregh- "to jerk, scatter" (cf. Skt. parjanya- "rain, rain god," Avestan fra-sparega "branch, twig," lit. "that which is jerked off a tree," O.N. freknur "freckles," Swed. dial. sprygg "brisk, active," Lith. sprogti "shoot, bud," O.Ir. arg "a drop").
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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