Intersperses

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To scatter or distribute different elements among various places throughout a space
2. To mix or alternate distinct items or concepts within a particular environment at intervals
3. To insert or distribute items at intervals within a larger group or area

Etymology: The verb "intersperses" is simply the third-person singular form of "intersperse," so its story is the story of that root. "Intersperse" comes from Latin "interspergere," built from "inter," meaning "between" or "among," and "spargere," meaning "to scatter" or "to sprinkle." The original picture is physical: something flung or strewn so that it lands in gaps between other things. The Latin past participle "interspersus" gave English the stem that the verb rests on. The core image survives intact. To intersperse is to scatter items among other things rather than heap them together, so a meadow interspersed with wildflowers has blooms placed between the grasses rather than in one patch. The English verb keeps the sense of scattering from its Latin parent while applying it to any arrangement that places things at intervals.

Synonyms: disperses, intermixes, scatters, distributes, interleaves

Antonyms: concentrates, gathers, collects, assembles, clumps