Added 9 October 2026
sporadic
/spəˈɹæd.ɪk/ adjective
In Latin: sporadicus Wiktionary
adjective Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about sporadic at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
- Rare and scattered in occurrence.
- Exhibiting random behavior; patternless.
- Not belonging to any infinite family; an exception to an otherwise orderly classification.
Origin
From Medieval Latin sporadicus (whence also French sporadique, Italian sporadico, Spanish esporádico), from Ancient Greek σποραδικός (sporadikós), from σποράς (sporás, “scattered, dispersed”), from σπορά (sporá), σπόρος (spóros, “a sowing [of seed]”).
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)