scatter

Main Entry:: ¹scat·ter
Pronunciation:: \ˈska-tər\
Function:: verb
Etymology:: Middle English scateren, schateren to disperse, break up, destroy; akin to Middle Dutch schaderen to scatter
Date:: 14th century

transitive verb1 a: to cause to separate widely b: to cause to vanish2archaic : to fling away heedlessly : squander3: to distribute irregularly4: to sow by casting in all directions : strew5 a: to reflect irregularly and diffusely b: to cause (a beam of radiation) to diffuse or disperse6: to divide into ineffectual small portionsintransitive verb1: to separate and go in various directions : disperse2: 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>.

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