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View synonyms for

scattering

[ skat-er-ing ]

adjective

  1. distributed or occurring here and there at irregular intervals; scattered. scattered.
  2. straggling, as an assemblage of parts.
  3. (of votes) cast in small numbers for various candidates.
  4. distributing, dispersing, or separating.


noun

  1. a small, scattered scattered number or quantity.
  2. Physics. the process in which a wave or beam of particles is diffused or deflected by collisions with particles of the medium that it traverses.

scattering

/ ˈæəɪŋ /

noun

  1. a small amount
  2. physics the process in which particles, atoms, etc, are deflected as a result of collision
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

scattering

  1. The spreading of a stream of particles or a beam of rays, as of light, over a range of directions as a result of collisions with other particles. The sky appears blue due to the tendency of air molecules to scatter blue and violet light more than light of other frequencies. The scattering probabilities and patterns of subatomic particles, accelerated by particle accelerators and aimed at a target, is a major component of experimental particle physics.
  2. See also diffusion
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Word History and Origins

Origin of scattering1

Middle English word dating back to 1300–50; scatter, -ing 2, -ing 1
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

As Elizabethan folk songs replaced Aldous' voice, Francis took a chrysanthemum and held it to Matthew's nose before scattering its petals across the sheepskin rug.

From

A chance sighting by police helped catch the killer who murdered and dismembered his housemate before scattering body parts across Greater Manchester.

From

This is caused by a process known as "Rayleigh scattering", which also makes the sky blue and our sunsets red.

From

This is caused by a process known as "Rayleigh scattering" which also makes the sky blue and our sunsets red.

From

The Moon will appear red in colour caused by the scattering of sunlight through the Earth's atmosphere.

From

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scatter-gunscattering layer