■ verb
1》 sit, lie, or fall with one's limbs spread out in an ungainly way.
2》 spread out irregularly over a large area.
■ noun
1》 a ~ing position or movement.
2》 a ~ing group or mass.
↘the disorganized expansion of an urban or industrial area into the adjoining countryside.
Derivatives
~ing noun & adjective
~ingly adverb
Origin
OE spreawlian 'move the limbs convulsively'.