Widespread
/ˈwaɪd.spred/noun
Occurring or found over a large area or among many people.
Did you know?“Widespread” is a straightforward compound, but its second half comes from the same ancient root as “spread,” originally linked to stretching or scattering something out across space.
Etymological Timeline
Old English
OE
wīdspred
“wide-spread; extended over a large area”
Old English
OE
wīd
“wide; broad; far-reaching”
Old English
OE
sprǣdan
“to spread out, stretch, extend”
Middle English
ME
widespred
“spread widely; extensive”
Modern English
English
widespread
“occurring or found over a large area or among many people”