I. ˈska-tər verb
Etymology: Middle English scateren, schateren to disperse, break up, destroy; akin to Middle Dutch schaderen to scatter
Date: 14th century
transitive verb
1.
a. : to cause to separate widely
b. : to cause to vanish
2. archaic : to fling away heedlessly : squander
3. : to distribute irregularly
4. : to sow by casting in all directions : strew
5.
a. : to reflect irregularly and diffusely
b. : to cause (a beam of radiation) to diffuse or disperse
6. : to divide into ineffectual small portions
intransitive verb
1. : to separate and go in various directions : disperse
2. : to occur or fall irregularly or at random
• scat·ter·er -tər-ər noun
Synonyms:
scatter , disperse , dissipate , dispel mean to cause to separate or break up. scatter implies a force that drives parts or units irregularly in many directions
the bowling ball scattered the pins
disperse implies a wider separation and a complete breaking up of a mass or group
police dispersed the crowd
dissipate stresses complete disintegration or dissolution and final disappearance
the fog was dissipated by the morning sun
dispel stresses a driving away or getting rid of as if by scattering
an authoritative statement that dispelled all doubt
II. noun
Date: 1642
1. : the act of scattering
2. : a small quantity or number irregularly distributed or strewn about : scattering
3. : the state or extent of being scattered ; especially : dispersion