Emily Dickinson Lexicon

SCATE, v. [or n. See SKATE.]

SCA'TE-BROUS, a. [L. scatebra, a spring; scateo, to overflow.]

Abounding with springs.

SCATH, n.

Damage; injury; waste; harm. – Spenser.

SCATH, v.t. [Sax. scathian, sceathian, to injure, to damage, to steal; D. shaaden; G. schaden; Sw. skada; Dan. skader.]

To damage; to waste; to destroy. – Milton.

SCATH'ED, pp.

Damaged; wasted; destroyed.

SCATH'FUL, a.

Injurious; harmful; destructive. – Shak.

SCATH'FUL-NESS, n.

Injuriousness; destructiveness.

SCATH'ING, ppr.

Injuring; destroying.

SCATH'LESS, a.

Without waste or damage. – Chaucer.

SCAT'TER, v.i.

1. To be dispersed or dissipated. The clouds scatter after a storm.
2. To be liberal to the poor; to be charitable. – Prov. xi.

SCAT'TER, v.t. [Sax. scateran, to pour out, to disperse; L. scateo; Gr. σκεδαω, to scatter, to discuss, L. discutio, This word may be formed on the root of discutio. The primary sense is to drive or throw.]

1. To disperse; to dissipate; to separate or remove things to a distance from each other. From thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth. Gen. xi. I will scatter you among the heathen. Lev. xxvi.
2. To throw loosely about; to sprinkle; as, to scatter seed in sowing. Teach the glad hours to scatter, as they fly, / soft quiet, gentle love and endless joy. – Prior.
3. To spreader set thinly. Why should thy muse enlarge on Libyan swains, / Their scatter'd cottages, and ample plains. – Dryden.

SCAT'TER-ED, pp.

1. Dispersed; dissipated; thinly spread; sprinkled or thinly spread over.
2. In botany, irregular in position; without any apparent regular order; as, scattered branches.

SCAT'TER-ED-LY, adv.

In a dispersed manner; separately. [Not much used.] – Clarke.

SCAT'TER-ING, ppr.

1. Dispersing; spreading thinly; sprinkling.
2. adj. Not united; divided among many; as, scattering votes.

SCAT'TER-ING-LY, adv.

Loosely; in a dispersed manner; thinly; as, habitations scatteringly placed over the country.

SCAT'TER-INGS, n. [plur.]

Things scattered.

SCAT'TER-LING, n.

A vagabond; one that has no fixed habitation or residence. [Little used.]

SCA-TUR'I-ENT, a. [L. scaturiens.]

Springing, as the water of a fountain. [Not used.] – Dict.

SCA-TU-RIG'IN-OUS, a. [L. scaturigo.]

Abounding with springs. [Not used.]

SCAUP, n.

A fowl of the duck kind. – Encyc.

SCAV'AGE, n. [Sax. sceawian, to show.]

In ancient customs, a toll or duty exacted of merchant-strangers by mayors, sherifs, &c. for goods shown or offered for sale within their precincts. – Cowel.

SCAV'EN-GER, a. [Sax. scafan, to scrape, to shave, G. schaben, Sw. skafva, Dan. skaver, L. scabio.]

A person whose employment is to clean the streets of a city, by scraping or sweeping and carrying off the filth.

SCEL'ER-AT, n. [Fr. from L. sceleratus.]

A villain; a criminal. [Not in use.] – Cheyne.

SCENE, n. [Fr. id.; L. scena; Gr. σκηνη, Heb. שבן, to dwell; Ch. to subside, to settle; Syr. to come or fall on; Ar. سَكَنَ sakana, to be firm, stable, quiet, to set or establish, to quiet or cause to rest. Class Gn, No. 43, 44. The Gr. word signifies a tent, hut or cottage. In L. it is an arbor or stage. The primary sense is to set or throw down.]

1. A stage; the theater or place where dramatic pieces and other shows are exhibited. It does not appear that the ancients changed the scenes in different parts of the play. Indeed the original scene for acting was an open plat of ground, shaded or slightly covered. – Encyc.
2. The whole series of actions and events connected and exhibited; or the whole assemblage of objects displayed at one view. Thus we say, the execution of a malefactor is a melancholy scene. The crucifixion of our Saviour was the most solemn scene ever presented to the view of man. We say also, a scene of sorrow or of rejoicing, a noble scene, a sylvan scene. A charming scene of nature is display'd. – Dryden.
3. A part of a play; a division of an act. A play is divided into acts, and acts are divided into scenes.
4. So much of an act of a play as represents what passes between the same persons in the same place. – Dryden.
5. The place represented by the stage. The scene was laid in the king's palace.
6. The curtain or hanging of a theater adapted to the play.
7. The place where any thing is exhibited. The world is a vast scene of strife. – J. M. Mason.
8. Any remarkable exhibition. The shepherds, while watching their flocks upon the plain of Bethlehem, were suddenly interrupted by one of the most sublime and surprising scenes which have ever been exhibited on earth. – W. D. Sprague.

SCENE-RY, n.

1. The appearance of a place, or of the various objects presented to view; or the various objects themselves as seen together. Thus we may say, the scenery the landscape presented to the view from Mount Holyoke in Hampshire county, Massachusetts, is highly picturesque and exceeded only by the scenery of Boston and its vicinity as seen from the State house. Never need an American look beyond his own country for the sublime and beautiful of natural scenery. – Irving.
2. The representation of the place in which an action is performed. – Pope.
3. The disposition and consecution of the scenes of a play. – Dryden.
4. The paintings representing the scenery of a play. – Dryden.