Esparramado

Esparramado is an adjective used in Portuguese (and, with a similar meaning, in Spanish) to describe something that has been spread or scattered over a wide area. It derives from the verb esparramar, meaning to scatter, spread out, or sprawl. The masculine form is esparrado, the feminine esparrada, and the masculine/feminine/adjective form esparramado is used in many contexts.

In ordinary usage, esparramado describes objects, people, or settlements that are distributed irregularly across a landscape rather than gathered in a single, centralized point. For example, a rural area with houses dispersed among fields can be described as um povoado esparramado. It can also be used metaphorically to refer to ideas, rumors, or crowds that are widespread or loosely organized rather than concentrated or coordinated.

In geography and urban planning, esparramado can characterize settlement patterns with low density and dispersed housing, lacking a dominant town center. Such patterns can reflect historical land-use practices, geographic constraints, or cultural preferences, and they often influence infrastructure needs and service provision, such as transportation and utilities.

The term is commonly found in both Portuguese and Spanish contexts, with closely related senses across languages. Related terms include disperso (dispersed), espalhado (spread out), and the verb esparramar (to scatter or spread).