Advertisement

Origin and history of shatter

shatter(v.)

mid-14c. (implied in toschatered), "scatter, disperse, throw about," transitive, probably a variant of Middle English scateren (see scatter (v.)), perhaps reflecting confusion of sk- and sh- from Norse influence. Compare Old Dutch schetteren Low German schateren. Formations such as scatter-brained had parallel forms in shatter-brained, etc.

The meaning "break in pieces, as by a single blow" is from mid-15c. Intransitive sense of "fly apart, become scattered, be broken in fragments" is from 1560s. Related: Shattered; shattering. Carlyle (1841) used shatterment "act or state of shattering or being shattered." Shatters "fragments" is from 1630s.

also from mid-14c.

Entries linking to shatter

scatter(v.)

mid-12c., scateren, transitive, "to squander;" c. 1300, "to separate and drive off in disorder;" late 14c., "to throw loosely about, strew here and there," possibly a northern English variant of Middle English schateren (see shatter), reflecting Norse influence. The intransitive sense, "go or flee in different directions, disperse" is from c. 1300. As a noun from 1640s, "act or action of scattering;" by 1950 in reference to radio waves.

shattering(adj.)

1560s, "that is broken suddenly;" 1570s, "ruinously destructive;" present-participle adjective from shatter (v.). Related: Shatteringly.

    Advertisement

    More to explore

    squash
    crush, squeeze," early 14c., squachen, from Old French esquacher, variant of esquasser, escasser, escachier "to crush, shatter..., destroy, break," from Vulgar Latin *exquassare, from Latin ex "out" (see ex-) + quassare "to shatter" (see quash "to crush...
    disruption
    nominative disruptio) "a breaking asunder," noun of action from past-participle stem of Latin disrumpere "break apart, split, shatter...
    eclat
    brilliance," from eclater "burst out; shine brilliantly; splinter, fly to fragments," from Old French esclater "smash, shatter...
    anacrusis
    "to strike," from PIE *kreue- (2) "to push, strike" (source also of Russian krusit, Lithuanian krušu, krušti "to smash, shatter...
    crush
    mid-14c., "smash, shatter, break into fragments or small particles; force down and bruise by heavy weight," also figuratively...
    slice
    splinter, broken piece of wood" (Anglo-French sclice, Modern French éclisse), a back-formation from esclicier "to splinter, shatter...
    fraction
    Latin "a fragment, portion," noun of action from past participle stem of Latin frangere "to break (something) in pieces, shatter...
    burst
    Middle English bresten, from Old English berstan (intransitive) "break suddenly, shatter as a result of pressure from within" (class III strong verb; past tense bærst, past participle borsten), from a West Germanic metathesis of Proto-Germanic *brest- (source also of Old Saxon br
    damage
    c. 1300, "harm, injury; hurt or loss to person, character, or estate," from Old French damage, domage  "loss caused by injury" (12c., Modern French dommage), from dam "damage," from Latin damnum "loss, hurt, damage" (see damn). In law (as damages) "the value in money of what
    brake
    mid-15c., "instrument for crushing or pounding," from Middle Dutch braeke "flax brake," from breken "to break" (see break (v.)). The word was applied to many crushing implements, especially the tool for breaking up the woody part of flax to loosen the fibers. It also was applied

    Share shatter

    Advertisement
    Trending
    Dictionary entries near shatter
    Advertisement