SPORADIC, SPORADICAL, adjective [Gr., separate, scattered; whence certain isles of Greece were called Sporades.] Separate; single; scattered; used only in reference to diseases. A sporadic disease, is one which occurs in particular persons and places, in distinction from an epidemic, which affects persons generally or in great numbers.
Source: Webster's 1828 American Dictionary ↗ · public-domain · returned verbatim, no AI