I. ˈska-tə-riŋ noun
Date: 14th century
1. : an act or process in which something scatters or is scattered
2. : something scattered: as
a. : a small number or quantity interspersed here and there
a scattering of visitors
b. : the random change in direction of the particles constituting a beam or wave front due to collision with particles of the medium traversed
II. adjective
Date: 15th century
1. : going in various directions
2. : found or placed far apart and in no order
3. : divided among many or several
scattering votes
• scat·ter·ing·ly ˈska-tə-riŋ-lē adverb