Shāt'ter1, v. t.
v. t. [imp. & p. p. SHATTERED; p. pr. & vb. n. SHATTERING.] [A-S. scateran; D. schateren, to crack, to make a great noise, O. D. schetteren, to scatter, to burst, to crack.] 1. To break at once into many pieces; to dash, burst, or part by violence into fragments; to rend; to crack; to split; as, an explosion shatters a rock or a bomb; too much steam shatters a boiler. A monarchy was shattered in pieces and divided amongst revolted subjects. Locke.
- To break up; to dissipate. [Rare.] “A man of loose, volatile, and shattered humor.” Norris.
- To disorder; to derange; to render unsound; as, to shatter the brain; to be shattered in intellect.
- To scatter about. [Obs. or rare.]
Shatter your leaves before the mellowing year. Milton.