| / English Dictionary |
SCATTERING
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
The act of scattering
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("scattering" is a kind of...):
spread; spreading (act of extending over a wider scope or expanse of space or time)
Derivation:
scatter (sow by scattering)
scatter (move away from each other)
scatter (to cause to separate and go in different directions)
scatter (strew or distribute over an area)
Sense 2
Meaning:
Spreading widely or driving off
Synonyms:
dispersion; scattering
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("scattering" is a kind of...):
spread; spreading (process or result of distributing or extending over a wide expanse of space)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "scattering"):
Diaspora (the dispersion of the Jews outside Israel; from the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 587-86 BC when they were exiled to Babylonia up to the present time)
dissipation (breaking up and scattering by dispersion)
Derivation:
scatter (to cause to separate and go in different directions)
Sense 3
Meaning:
A light shower that falls in some locations and not others nearby
Synonyms:
scattering; sprinkle; sprinkling
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural phenomena
Hypernyms ("scattering" is a kind of...):
rain shower; shower (a brief period of precipitation)
Sense 4
Meaning:
The physical process in which particles are deflected haphazardly as a result of collisions
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural processes
Hypernyms ("scattering" is a kind of...):
action; activity; natural action; natural process (a process existing in or produced by nature (rather than by the intent of human beings))
Holonyms ("scattering" is a part of...):
extinction (the reduction of the intensity of radiation as a consequence of absorption and radiation)
Sense 5
Meaning:
A small number (of something) dispersed haphazardly
Example:
a sprinkling of grey at his temples
Synonyms:
scattering; sprinkling
Classified under:
Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure
Hypernyms ("scattering" is a kind of...):
small indefinite amount; small indefinite quantity (an indefinite quantity that is below average size or magnitude)
II. (verb)
Sense 1
-ing form of the verb scatter
Context examples:
A type of spectroscopy that utilizes a laser beam to irradiate a sample containing particles in suspension, resulting in light scattering.
(Photon Correlation Spectroscopy, NCI Thesaurus)
At the frequencies used in adult echocardiography (2-5 MHZ) the microspheres resonate, which further increases the extent of ultrasound scattering and reflection.
(Perflutren Protein-Type A Microspheres, NCI Thesaurus)
The analyser takes advantage of the optical properties of blood, such as absorption and scattering of light, to measure haemoglobin concentration.
(New approach promises better anaemia detection, SciDev.Net)
Already the sudden storm is passing, and its fierceness is abating; crowds are scattering homeward, and the sky is beginning to redden over the Yorkshire wolds.
(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)
No one was in sight, the smooth road sloped invitingly before her, and finding the temptation irresistible, Jo darted away, soon leaving hat and comb behind her and scattering hairpins as she ran.
(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)
The diffuse red glow permeating this image comes from the emission of hydrogen gas, while the shimmering blue light is caused by reflection and scattering off small dust particles.
(Stellar Nursery Blooms into View, ESO)
During a four-day experiment in Monterey Bay, the scientists recorded a 3.5 magnitude quake and seismic scattering from underwater fault zones.
(Underwater telecom cables make superb seismic network, National Science Foundation)
Somebody, unseen, rang the bell merrily; then Adele (who had insisted on being one of her guardian's party), bounded forward, scattering round her the contents of a basket of flowers she carried on her arm.
(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)
By using the FORS2 instrument on the Very Large Telescope the team was able to carefully analyse this light and deduce that the atmosphere contained small amounts of titanium oxide, water and traces of sodium, alongside a strongly scattering global haze.
(Inferno World with Titanium Skies, ESO)
At the second trial, the aim was better, and the ball descended inside the stockade, scattering a cloud of sand but doing no further damage.
(Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson)
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