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Scatter

//ˈskætə// noun, verb, slang

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The act of scattering or dispersing. countable, uncountable
  2. 2
    the act of scattering wordnet
  3. 3
    A collection of dispersed objects. countable, uncountable

    "The Los Angeles Basin evolved as a mobility surface principally through the combination of an initial system of electric railways connecting a scatter of agricultural settlement settlements."

  4. 4
    a haphazard distribution in all directions wordnet
Verb
  1. 1
    To (cause to) separate and go in different directions; to disperse. ergative

    "The crowd scattered in fright."

  2. 2
    cause to separate wordnet
  3. 3
    To distribute loosely as by sprinkling. transitive

    "The fish scattered along the waterfall."

  4. 4
    distribute loosely wordnet
  5. 5
    To deflect (radiation or particles). transitive

    "Chasca's ring is unique. It appears to be, for lack of a better term, a massive piece of alien "installation art." The rings are made of small pieces of synthetic material, and are almost invisible from space. From the ground, they catch and scatter the light of Matano in picturesque ways. It is not known who created the ring or when."

Show 9 more definitions
  1. 6
    sow by scattering wordnet
  2. 7
    To occur or fall at widely spaced intervals. intransitive
  3. 8
    move away from each other wordnet
  4. 9
    To frustrate, disappoint, and overthrow. transitive

    "to scatter hopes or plans"

  5. 10
    to cause to separate and go in different directions wordnet
  6. 11
    To be dispersed upon. transitive

    "Desiccated stalks scattered the fields."

  7. 12
    strew or distribute over an area wordnet
  8. 13
    Of a pitcher: to keep down the number of hits or walks. transitive
  9. 14
    To leave. US, slang

    "When the police showed up, I scattered."

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English scateren, skateren, also schateren, * probably a variant of shatter, which is imitative; * or from Old English *sceaterian, probably from a dialect of Old Norse, possibly ultimately related to Proto-Indo-European *skey- (“to cut, split, shatter”). Compare Middle Dutch scheteren (“to scatter”), Low German schateren, Dutch schateren (“to burst out laughing”); and is apparently remotely akin to Ancient Greek σκεδάννυμι (skedánnumi, “scatter, disperse”). and Tocharian B kät- (“to scatter, sow seeds”). Doublet of shatter.

Etymology 2

From Middle English scateren, skateren, also schateren, * probably a variant of shatter, which is imitative; * or from Old English *sceaterian, probably from a dialect of Old Norse, possibly ultimately related to Proto-Indo-European *skey- (“to cut, split, shatter”). Compare Middle Dutch scheteren (“to scatter”), Low German schateren, Dutch schateren (“to burst out laughing”); and is apparently remotely akin to Ancient Greek σκεδάννυμι (skedánnumi, “scatter, disperse”). and Tocharian B kät- (“to scatter, sow seeds”). Doublet of shatter.

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