[ad. L. spars-us, pa. pple. of spargĕre to scatter. Cf. It. sparso, Pg. esparso, OF. espars(e, F. épars(e.]
1. Sc. Or writing: Having wide spaces between the words; widely spaced or spread out.
1727. Wodrow, Corr. (1843), III. 288. These were produced on Tuesday the 18th, and are four or five sheets of sparse write, yet not so long as I expected.
1785. J. Beattie, Scoticisms (1787), 85. The writing is sparse.—Loose. Not close. Takes up too much room.
1800. Monthly Mag., IX. 237. When much space is occupied by few words, the Scotch, especially the lawyers, say, ‘the writing is sparse.’
1825. Jamieson, Suppl., ‘Sparse writing’ is wide open writing, occupying a large space.
2. Separated by fairly wide intervals or spaces; thinly dispersed, distributed or scattered; placed, set, etc., here and there over a relatively extensive area; not crowded, close or dense.
In some instances passing into the sense of ‘scanty, few, meager.’
a. Bot. SCATTERED ppl. a. 4 a.
Also (in recent Dicts.) Zool. of spots, markings, etc.
1753. Chambers’ Cycl., Suppl., s.v. Leaf, Sparse Leaves, those which are placed irregularly over the several parts of the plant.
c. 1789. Encycl. Brit. (ed. 3), III. 443. The Situation of the Parts of a Plant is … Sparse, placed without any certain order.
1866. Treas. Bot., 1076/2. Sparse, scattered, irregularly distributed.
b. Of population, an assembly, etc., or of persons composing this.
In this sense orig. U.S., and commented upon as an Americanism in the Penny Cycl. (1833), I. 449/1.
(a) 1828–32. Webster, s.v., A sparse population.
1841. Emerson, Ess., History, Wks. (Bohn), I. 10. A sparse population and want make every man his own valet, cook, butcher, and soldier.
1863. Reade, Hard Cash, v. Next day she was at evening church: the congregation was very sparse.
1870. Lubbock, Orig. Civilis., App. 345. It is my belief that the great continents were already occupied by a wide-spread though sparse population.
(b) 1850. N. & Q., 1st Ser. I. 215/1. A sparse and hardy race of horsemen.
1879. Browning, Halbert & Hob, 11. Thus were they found by the few sparse folk of the country-side.
1890. Spectator, 21 June, 857/2. There are … kingdoms where the inhabitants are as ‘sparse’ as the Maories were when the first ship-captain landed in New Zealand.
c. Of things.
1861. J. H. Bennet, Shores of Medit., I. i. (1875), 20. It [the Olive-tree] is often as large as a fine old oak, but with fewer limbs and a more sparse foliage.
1864. Browning, Dram. Pers., Gold Hair, iii. Smiles might be sparse on her cheek so spare.
1875. Miss Braddon, Strange World, i. A man with sparse grey hair.
1884. Fortn. Rev., Jan., 23. Such efforts as have been made in this direction are sparse.
3. Characterized by wide distribution or intervals.
1801. T. Jefferson, Writ. (1830), III. 462. The great extent of our republic is new. Its sparse habitation is new.
1861. Press Newsp., IX. 889/2. It was composed of matter so amazingly sparse, that the whole substance of a comet could be compressed into a single square inch of earthy matter.
1863. Mary Howitt, trans. F. Bremer’s Greece, I. iv. 102. Nearly the whole of our way lay through sparse olive-woods.
1872. Howells, Wedding Journ. (1892), 288. The village … grows sparser as you draw near the Falls.
b. Thinly occupied or populated.
1851. Nichol, Archit. Heav., 267. Situated exclusively within that sparse district,… they composed but a few even of the orbs which are scattered there.
c. Characterized by sparseness or scantiness.
1871. Echo, 23 Jan. The average German uniform is less showy than the British on account of the sparser use of gold lace.
1889. Spectator, 14 Dec., 850/2. The gleaning has been somewhat sparse.
4. In adverbial use: Sparsely. Also Comb.
1725. Armstrong, Imit. Shaks. & Spenser, Misc. 1770, I. 150. The bleak puffing winds, that seem to spit Their foam sparse thro’ the welkin.
1872. Blackie, Lays Highl., 162. Through the lone sparse-peopled glen.
1883. Stevenson, Silverado Sq. (1886), 33. A lawn, sparse planted like an orchard.
