spattering

spat·ter

S0610000 (spăt′ər)v. spat·tered, spat·ter·ing, spat·ters v.tr.1. To scatter (a liquid, for example) in drops or small amounts: spattered the paint on the canvas.2. To spot, splash, or soil with drops or small amounts: The passing car spattered my pants with mud.3. To strike or land on in a dispersed way: Rain spattered the pavement.v.intr.1. To come forth in drops or small amounts: Hot grease spattered in all directions.2. To fall in a shower or make contact in a dispersed way, as rain or bullets.n.1. The act or an instance of spattering: a spatter of mud on his pants.2. A spattering sound: awakened by the spatter of rain on the window.3. a. A drop or splash of something spattered: spatters of paint on his shoes.b. A small amount; a smattering: just a spatter of praise.

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[Perhaps of Low German origin.]

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	spattering - the noise of something spattering or sputtering explosively; "he heard a spatter of gunfire"spatter, splatter, splattering, splutter, sputter, sputteringnoise - sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound); "he enjoyed the street noises"; "they heard indistinct noises of people talking"; "during the firework display that ended the gala the noise reached 98 decibels"
	2.	spattering - the act of splashing a (liquid) substance on a surfacesplashing, splattering, spatter, splashpainting - the act of applying paint to a surface; "you can finish the job of painting faster with a roller than with a brush"