shatter v.

mid-14c. (implied in toschatered), "scatter, disperse, throw about," transitive, probably a variant of Middle English scateren (see scatter (v.)), perhaps reflecting confusion of sk- and sh- from Norse influence. Compare Old Dutch schetteren Low German schateren. Formations such as scatter-brained had parallel forms in shatter-brained, etc.

The meaning "break in pieces, as by a single blow" is from mid-15c. Intransitive sense of "fly apart, become scattered, be broken in fragments" is from 1560s. Related: Shattered; shattering. Carlyle (1841) used shatterment "act or state of shattering or being shattered." Shatters "fragments" is from 1630s.