strew

• POS: Verb (usu participle)

CIDE DICTIONARY

strew, v. t. [OE. strewen, strawen, AS. strewian, streówian; akin to Ofries. strewa, OS. strewian, D. strooijen, G. streuen, OHG. strewen, Icel. strā, Sw. strö, Dan. ströe, Goth. straujan, L. sternere, stratum, Gr. , , Skr. st. √166. Cf. Stratum, Straw, Street.].

•  To scatter; to spread by scattering; to cast or to throw loosely apart; -- used of solids, separated or separable into parts or particles; as, to strew seed in beds; to strew sand on or over a floor; to strew flowers over a grave.  [1913 Webster]

  "And strewed his mangled limbs about the field."  [1913 Webster]

  "On a principal table a desk was open and many papers [were] strewn about."  [1913 Webster]
•  To cover more or less thickly by scattering something over or upon; to cover, or lie upon, by having been scattered; as, they strewed the ground with leaves; leaves strewed the ground.  [1913 Webster]

  "The snow which does the top of Pindus strew."  [1913 Webster]

  "Is thine alone the seed that strews the plain?"  [1913 Webster]
•  To spread abroad; to disseminate.  [1913 Webster]

  "She may strew dangerous conjectures."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

strew, v.tr. (past part. strewn or strewed)
1 scatter or spread about over a surface.
2 (usu. foll. by with) spread (a surface) with scattered things.

Derivative

strewer n.

Etymology

OE stre(o)wian

THESAURUS

strew

bestrew, broadcast, circulate, circumfuse, cover, deal out, diffract, diffuse, dispense, disperse, dispread, disseminate, dissipate, distribute, diverge, dust, fan out, issue, litter, overscatter, oversow, overspread, propagate, publish, radiate, retail, scatter, sow, sow broadcast, splay, spread, spread out, sprinkle, straw, toss, utter

ROGET THESAURUS

strew

Dispersion

VB disperse, scatter, sow, broadcast, disseminate, diffuse, shed, spread, bestrew, overspread, dispense, disband, disembody, dismember, distribute, apportion, blow off, let out, dispel, cast forth, draught off, strew, straw, strow, ted, spirtle, cast, sprinkle, issue, deal out, retail, utter, resperse, intersperse, set abroach, circumfuse, turn adrift, cast adrift, scatter to the winds, spread like wildfire, disperse themselves.