'sparsely-populated' originates from the combination of 'sparse' and 'populated'. 'Sparse' comes from Latin 'sparsus', meaning 'scattered', and 'populated' comes from Latin 'populatus', meaning 'inhabited'.

'Sparse' changed from the Latin word 'sparsus' and 'populated' from 'populatus', eventually forming the modern English term 'sparsely-populated'.

Initially, 'sparse' meant 'scattered or thinly spread', and 'populated' meant 'inhabited'. Together, they evolved to describe areas with low population density.