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widespread

Etymology and origin of the English word widespread

History Permalink
Confidence
Established
Formation
Compound
First attested
1582

Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈwaɪdspred/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from wide and spread, the past participle of spread.[2][3]

Earliest recorded meaning

Spread widely: 1582 in MWU;[4] 1705 in Etymonline, the early 18th century in SOED.[2][3]

Semantic evolution

Etymonline notes the earlier wide-spreading (1590s).[2] Its main sense, found or distributed over a large area or among many people, as widespread support, is from the 18th century on;[3][5] it also means widely extended, as of wings.[3]

Timeline

  • 1582 – first use (MWU).[4]
  • 1590s – wide-spreading.[2]
  • 1705 – widespread.[2]

Modern meaning

Adjective

  1. Found or distributed over a large area or among many people.
  2. Spread out widely; fully extended.

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b c d Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  5. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
Cite this entry

“Widespread.” Etymologically, 16 Oct. 2026, etymologically.com/en/widespread. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Last edited on . ·