I. transitive verb
Etymology: Latin sparsus, past participle of spargere — more at spark
obsolete : scatter , disperse , distribute
II. ˈspärs, -pȧs adverb
Etymology: Latin sparsus, past participle
: sparsely , thinly
III. adjective
also sparce “
( -er/-est )
Etymology: Latin sparsus, past participle
: of few and scattered elements : having spaces between the component units : not thickly grown or settled : thinly scattered : scanty
sparse beard
sparse population
sparse shade of one willow tree — Eudora Welty
Synonyms: see meager