■ verb
1》 throw in various random directions.
↘separate or cause to separate and move off in different directions.
↘( be ~ed ) occur or be found at various places rather than all together.
2》 Physics deflect or diffuse (electromagnetic radiation or particles).
■ noun
1》 a small, dispersed amount of something.
2》 Statistics the degree to which repeated measurements or observations of a quantity differ.
Derivatives
~er noun
~ing noun
Origin
ME: prob. a var. of shatter .