Dictionary
Thesaurus
Reference
Translate
Web
Related Searches
on Ask.com
sporadic
6 dictionary results for: sporadic
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
spo·rad·ic       [spuh-rad-ik] Pronunciation Key
–adjective
1.(of similar things or occurrences) appearing or happening at irregular intervals in time; occasional: sporadic renewals of enthusiasm.
2.appearing in scattered or isolated instances, as a disease.
3.isolated, as a single instance of something; being or occurring apart from others.
4.occurring singly or widely apart in locality: the sporadic growth of plants.
Also, spo·rad·i·cal.

[Origin: 1680–90; < ML sporadicus < Gk sporadikós, equiv. to sporad- (s. of sporás strewn, akin to sporá spore) + -ikos -ic]

—Related forms
spo·rad·i·cal·ly, adverb
spo·rad·i·cal·ness, noun
spo·ra·dic·i·ty       [spawr-uh-dis-i-tee, spohr-] Pronunciation Key, spo·ra·dism, noun

—Synonyms 3. separate, unconnected.
—Antonyms 1. continuous.
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.
CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
spo·rad·ic       (spə-rād'ĭk, spô-)  Pronunciation Key 
adj.  
  1. Occurring at irregular intervals; having no pattern or order in time. See Synonyms at periodic.
  2. Appearing singly or at widely scattered localities, as a plant or disease.
  3. Isolated; unique: a sporadic example.


[Medieval Latin sporadicus, scattered, from Greek sporadikos, from sporas, sporad-; see sper- in Indo-European roots.]

spo·rad'i·cal·ly adv., spo·rad'i·cal·ness n.
(Download Now or Buy the Book)
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT
Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
sporadic 
1654 (implied in sporadical), from M.L. sporadicus "scattered," from Gk. sporadikos "scattered," from sporas (gen. sporados) "scattered," from spora "a sowing" (see spore). Originally a medical term, "occurring in scattered instances;" the meaning "happening at intervals" is first recorded 1847.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This
sporadic

adjective
recurring in scattered and irregular or unpredictable instances; "a city subjected to sporadic bombing raids" [ant: continual] 

WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University.
CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT
American Heritage Stedman's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

sporadic spo·rad·ic (spə-rād'ĭk, spô-) or spo·rad·i·cal (-ĭ-kəl)
adj.

  1. Occurring at irregular intervals.
  2. Occurring singly; not grouped.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Sporadic

Spo*rad"ic\, a. [Gr. ? scattered, fr. ?, ?, scattered, fr. ? to sow seed, to scatter like seed: cf. F. sporadique. See Spore.] Occuring singly, or apart from other things of the same kind, or in scattered instances; separate; single; as, a sporadic fireball; a sporadic case of disease; a sporadic example of a flower.

Sporadic disease (Med.), a disease which occurs in single and scattered cases. See the Note under Endemic, a.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
CITE THIS SOURCE|PRINT
Share This:Share This: digg.comShare This: ma.gnolia.comShare This: www.stumbleupon.comShare This: del.icio.usShare This: FacebookShare This: favorites.live.comShare This: www.technorati.comShare This: furl.netShare This: myweb2.search.yahoo.comShare This: www.google.com