shatter

The story

1. Proto-Germanic · derived from*skat-“to smash, scatter”
2. Old English · inherited fromscaterian
3. Middle English · inherited fromschateren“to scatter, dash”
4. English todayshatter

From Middle English schateren (“to scatter, dash”), an assibilated form of Middle English scateren ("to scatter"; see scatter), from Old English scaterian, from Proto-Germanic *skat- (“to smash, scatter”), perhaps ultimately imitative. Cognate with Dutch schateren (“to burst out laughing”), Low German schateren, Albanian shkatërroj (“to destroy, devastate”). Doublet of scatter.