smatter

/ˈsmætə/

Etymology

The verb is derived from Middle English smateren, smatteren, smater, smatere (“to make dirty, defile; to talk idly, chatter; to speak foolishly”); further etymology uncertain, compare the following: * Middle English smotten (“to corrupt, debase, defile”) (whence English smot (obsolete)), related to Late Middle High German smotzen, a variant of smutzen (whence modern German schmutzen (“to become dirty or soiled; to make dirty, soil”)), from smuz (“dirt”). * Danish smadre (“to smash”), German schmettern (“to smash; to resound”) (from Middle High German smetern (“to chatter; to rattle; (dialectal) to make a smacking sound”)); Norwegian Bokmål smadre (“to smash”), Swedish smattra (“to make short, sharp, quickly repeating noises, patter, rattle”), possibly originally onomatopoeic. However, the

smatter means synonym of smattering.; A shallow or superficial knowledge of a subject. Lexicurio rates it Rare gem — a strength score of 71 out of 100.

noun

Synonym of smattering.; A shallow or superficial knowledge of a subject.“[A]ll other Sciences, they vvere in a manner extinguiſh'd during the Courſe of this Empire, excepting only a Smatter of Judicial Aſtrology, by vvhich, under the Name of Chaldeans, ſome of that Race long amazed ignorant and credulous People.”
Synonym of smattering.; A small amount or number of something.“a smatter of applause”

verb

To make (someone or something) dirty; to bespatter, to soil.“To ſay the Ieſuites are all ſmattred vvith Atheiſme, I vvill not: and to ſay, that any of them all are abſolutely ſcotfree from it, I cannot: it is ſo repugnant from their ovvne principles.”
To hit (someone or something) with a liquid; to splash, to spatter.
To approach or study (something, such as a subject) superficially; to dabble in.“I have smattered law, smattered letters, smattered geography, smattered mathematics; I have even a working knowledge of judicial astrology; and here I stand, all London roaring by at the street's end, as impotent as any baby.”
To speak (a language or words) with only a superficial knowledge of it.“The Barber ſmatters latin, I remember.”
To hit with a liquid; to splash, to spatter.
To have a slight, superficial knowledge of something; to dabble.“He ſmattereth a lytell of the lawe: […]”