Scattered lightly in small drops or grains; distributed thinly and unevenly across a surface.
From Middle Dutch 'sprinckelen,' related to 'sprinkle' (probably imitative of scattering sound). The past participle '-ed' form became a common adjective.
Sprinkle is onomatopoetic—the word itself kind of sounds like the action, which is why kids instinctively know what it means before being taught.
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