scatter

B1 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ˈskætɚ/ UK /ˈskætə/ See IPA manual

Freq #12006

Meanings

1

verb
To throw or spread things over a wide area.

She scattered the seeds across the garden.
2

verb
To make people or animals move quickly in different directions.

The crowd scattered when the storm began.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 verb · to throw or spread things... sprinkle

2 verb · to make people or animals... disperse break up

Word family

Forms scatteringscatters

Derived forms antiscatterbescatterrescatterscatter-brainedscatter-plotscatter-storyscatterablescatterationscatterbrainscatterbrainedscattererscattergood

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

scatter rug
a small rug placed on part of a room's floor

Noun + noun

Etymology

From Middle English scateren, skateren, also schateren, * probably a variant of shatter, which is imitative; * or from Old English *sceaterian, probably akin to a dialect of Old Norse, possibly ultimately related to Proto-Indo-European *skey- (“to cut, split, shatter”). Compare Middle Dutch scheteren (“to scatter”), Low German schateren, Dutch schateren (“to burst out laughing”); and is apparently remotely akin to Ancient Greek σκεδάννυμι (skedánnumi, “scatter, disperse”). and Tocharian B kät- (“to scatter, sow seeds”). Doublet of shatter.

scateren Middle English *sceaterian Old English *skey- Proto-Indo-European

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Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# scatter

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /ˈskætɚ/
**IPA (UK):** /ˈskætə/
**Frequency rank:** 12006

## Meanings
1. To throw or spread things over a wide area.
2. To make people or animals move quickly in different directions.

## Examples
- She scattered the seeds across the garden.
- The crowd scattered when the storm began.

## Derived Forms
- antiscatter
- bescatter
- rescatter
- scatter-brained
- scatter-plot
- scatter-story
- scatterable
- scatteration
- scatterbrain
- scatterbrained
- scatterer
- scattergood

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: scateren
- Root: *sceaterian
- Root: *skey-

## Etymology
From Middle English scateren, skateren, also schateren, * probably a variant of shatter, which is imitative; * or from Old English *sceaterian, probably akin to a dialect of Old Norse, possibly ultimately related to Proto-Indo-European *skey- (“to cut, split, shatter”). Compare Middle Dutch scheteren (“to scatter”), Low German schateren, Dutch schateren (“to burst out laughing”); and is apparently remotely akin to Ancient Greek σκεδάννυμι (skedánnumi, “scatter, disperse”). and Tocharian B kät- (“to scatter, sow seeds”). Doublet of shatter.

## AI Etymology
Scatter is from Middle English scateren, skateren, also schateren,; probably a variant of shatter, which is imitative;; or from Old English *sceaterian, probably akin to a dialect of Old Norse, possibly ultimately related to Proto-Indo-European *skey- (“to cut, split, shatter”). Compare Middle Dutch scheteren (“to scatter”), Low German schateren, Dutch schateren (“to burst out laughing”); and is apparently remotely akin to Ancient Greek σκεδάννυμι (skedánnumi, “scatter, disperse”). and Tocharian B kät- (“to scatter, sow seeds”). Doublet of shatter. Important forms in the word's history include Middle English scateren, Old English *sceaterian, Proto-Indo-European *skey-. In current use it includes senses such as To throw or spread things over a wide area and To make people or animals move quickly in different directions.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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