sprɔ:l v. & n. --v. 1 a intr.
sit or lie or
fall with limbs
flung out or in an
ungainly way. b tr.
spread (one's limbs) in
this way. 2 intr. (of
handwriting, a
plant, a
town, etc.) be of
irregular or straggling
form. --n. 1 a sprawling
movement or
attitude. 2 a straggling
group or mass. 3
the straggling
expansion of an
urban or
industrial area. øøsprawlingly adv. [OE spreawlian]