scatter

/ˈska-tər/

Middle English scateren, schateren to disperse, break up, destroy; akin to Middle Dutch schaderen to scatter

verb

  1. to cause to separate widely

  2. to cause to vanish

  3. to fling away heedlessly : squander

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. disperse implies a wider separation and a complete breaking up of a mass or group.

noun

  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

noun

  1. a two-dimensional graph in rectangular coordinates consisting of points whose coordinates represent values of two variables under study