SCATCHES, skach'ez, _n.pl._ stilts used for walking in dirty places. [O.
Fr. _eschace_--Old Flem. _schætse_, a high shoe; Dut. _schaats_, pl.
_schaatsen_, skates.]
SCATE. Same as _Skate_, a fish.
SCATH, SCATHE, sk[=a]th, _n._ damage, injury: waste.--_v.t._ to
injure.--_adj._ SCATHE'FUL, destructive.--_n._ SCATHE'FULNESS,
disadvantage: destructiveness.--_adj._ SC[=A]'THING, damaging; blasting:
scorching.--_adv._ SC[=A]'THINGLY.--_adjs._ SC[=A]TH'LESS, without injury;
SC[=A]'THY (_Scot._), mischievous: dangerous. [A.S. _sceathu_; Ger.
_schade_, injury.]
SCATOLOGY, sk[=a]-tol'[=o]-ji, _n._ the knowledge of fossil excrement or
coprolites: knowledge of the usages of primitive peoples about excrements,
human and other.--_adj._ SCATOLOG'ICAL.--_ns._ SCAT'OMANCY, SCATOS'COPY,
divination of disease by inspection of excrement; SCATOPH'AGA, the
dung-flies.--_n.pl._ SCATOPHAG'IDÆ, a family of acanthopterygian
fishes.--_adj._ SCATOPH'AGOUS, feeding on excrement. [Gr. _sk[=o]r_,
skatos, dung, logia--legein, to speak; manteia, divination; skopein, to
view; phagein, to eat.]
SCATTER, skat'[.e]r, _v.t._ to disperse in all directions: to throw loosely
about: to strew: to sprinkle: to dispel: to put to flight: to drop: to
throw shot too loosely.--_v.i._ to be dispersed or dissipated.--_n._
SCATT'ERBRAIN, a thoughtless, giddy person.--_adjs._ SCATT'ER-BRAINED,
giddy; SCATT'ERED, widely separated: wandering: distracted:
irregular.--_ns._ SCATT'ERER, one who or that which scatters;
SCATT'ER-GOOD, a spendthrift; SCATT'ER-GUN, a shot-gun; SCATT'ERING,
something scattered: dispersion: that which has been scattered: the
irregular reflection of light from a surface not perfectly smooth.--_adj._
dispersing: rare, sporadic: diversified.--_adv._ SCATT'ERINGLY, in a
dispersed manner: here and there.--_ns._ SCATT'ERLING (_Spens._), one who
has no fixed abode: a vagabond; SCATT'ERMOUCH, any Latin or Levantine, in
Pacific slang.--_adj._ SCATT'ERY, dispersed: sparse: few and far between.
[A.S. _scateran_, scaterian; cf. _Shatter_.]
SCATURIENT, sk[=a]-t[=u]'ri-ent, _adj._ gushing like water from a fountain.
[L. _scatur[=i]re_, to gush out.]
SCAUD, skäd, _v.t._ (_Scot._) to scald: to scold.
SCAUP, skawp, _n._ a sea-duck of genus Aythya, of northern regions, related
to the pochard. [Ice. _skálp_--in _skálp-hæna_.]
SCAUPER, skaw'p[.e]r, _n._ a tool with semicircular face, used by
engravers. [Prob. scalper.]
SCAUR, skär, a Scotch form of scare.