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scatter

 - 6 dictionary results

scat⋅ter

  [skat-er]
Use scatter in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to throw loosely about; distribute at irregular intervals: to scatter seeds.
2. to separate and drive off in various directions; disperse: to scatter a crowd.
3. Physics.
a. to refract or diffract (light or other electromagnetic radiation) irregularly so as to diffuse in many directions.
b. (of a medium) to diffuse or deflect (light or other wave phenomena) by collisions between the wave and particles of the medium.
–verb (used without object)
4. to separate and disperse; go in different directions.
–noun
5. the act of scattering.
6. something that is scattered.
Origin:
1125–75; ME scatere; cf. D schateren to burst out laughing

Related forms:
scat⋅ter⋅a⋅ble, adjective
scat⋅ter⋅er, noun
scat⋅ter⋅ing⋅ly, adverb

Synonyms:
1. broadcast. See sprinkle. 2. Scatter, dispel, disperse, dissipate imply separating and driving something away so that its original form disappears. To scatter is to separate something tangible into parts at random, and drive these in different directions: The wind scattered leaves all over the lawn. To dispel is to drive away or scatter usually intangible things so that they vanish or cease to exist: Photographs of the race dispelled all doubts as to which horse won. To disperse is usually to cause a compact or organized tangible body to separate or scatter in different directions, to be reassembled if desired: Tear gas dispersed the mob. To dissipate is usually to scatter by dissolving or reducing to small atoms or parts that cannot be brought together again: He dissipated his money and his energy in useless activities.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To scatter
scat·ter   (skāt'ər)   
v.   scat·tered, scat·ter·ing, scat·ters

v.   tr.

  1. To cause to separate and go in different directions.

  2. To distribute loosely by or as if by sprinkling; strew: scattering confetti from the upper windows.

  3. Physics To deflect (radiation or particles).

v.   intr.

  1. To separate and go in different directions; disperse.

  2. To occur or fall at widely spaced intervals.

n.  

  1. The act of scattering or the condition of being scattered.

  2. Something scattered.


[Middle English scateren, perhaps from northern dialectal alteration of Old English *sceaterian.]
scat'ter·er n.
Synonyms: These verbs mean to cause a mass or aggregate to separate and go in different directions. Scatter refers to loose or haphazard distribution of components: "the scattered driftwood, bleached and dry" (Celia Laighton Thaxter).
Disperse implies the complete breaking up of the mass or aggregate: "only a few industrious Scots perhaps, who indeed are dispersed over the face of the whole earth" (George Chapman).
Dissipate suggests a reduction to nothing: "The main of life is composed ... of meteorous pleasures which dance before us and are dissipated" (Samuel Johnson).
Dispel suggests driving away or off by or as if by scattering: "But he ... with high words ... gently raised/Their fainting courage, and dispelled their fears" (John Milton).
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

scatter 
1154, possibly a northern Eng. variant of M.E. schateren (see shatter), reflecting Norse influence. Scatterbrain is first recorded 1790. Scattershot (adj.) is attested from 1961, fig. use of term for a kind of gun charge meant to broadcast the pellets when fired.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 1scat·ter
Pronunciation: 'skat-&r
Function: transitive verb
: to cause (a beam of radiation) to diffuse or disperse

Main Entry: 2scatter
Function: noun
1 : the act of scattering
2 : the state or extent of being scattered; especially : SCATTERING
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

scatter scat·ter (skāt'ər)
v. scat·tered, scat·ter·ing, scat·ters

  1. To cause to separate and go in different directions.

  2. To separate and go in different directions; disperse.

  3. To deflect radiation or particles.

n.
The act of scattering or the condition of being scattered.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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