STREW

transitive verb (~ed; ~ed or ~n; ~ing) Etymology: Middle English ~en, strowen, from Old English ~ian, strēowian; akin to Old High German ~en to ~, Latin struere to heap up, sternere to spread out, Greek stornynai Date: before 12th century to spread by scattering, to cover by or as if by scattering something , to become dispersed over as if scattered, to spread abroad ; disseminate