scatter
Definitions
General English
- verb to throw something in various places
General Science
- noun the deflection of radiation or a signal
Electronics
- To spread out, deflect, diffuse, or otherwise disperse electromagnetic radiation, particles, or acoustic waves via striking or propagating through a surface, region, or medium.
- To cause to scatter (1).
- The act of scattering.
Information & Library Science
- verb to distribute things widely and without any order
Media Studies
- noun a strategy by which an advertising message is put out through several different channels at the same time
Military
- verb to throw or drop objects over a wide area
- verb to run away or take cover in different directions
Origin & History of “scatter”
Scatter originally meant ‘squander’, and appears to have started life as an alteration of shatter. It first appears in northern and Scottish texts, and so the change from /sh/ to /sk/ is probably due to Norse influence. The origins of shatter (12th c.) itself are not known.
