dis·perse

[dih-spurs] verb, dis·persed, dis·pers·ing, adjective
verb (used with object)
1.
to drive or send off in various directions; scatter: to disperse a crowd.
2.
to spread widely; disseminate: to disperse knowledge.
3.
to dispel; cause to vanish: The wind dispersed the fog.
4.
Physical Chemistry. to cause (particles) to separate uniformly throughout a solid, liquid, or gas.
5.
Optics. to subject (light) to dispersion.
verb (used without object)
6.
to separate and move apart in different directions without order or regularity; become scattered: The crowd dispersed.
7.
to be dispelled; be scattered out of sight; vanish: The smoke dispersed into the sky.
00:10
Dispersed is always a great word to know.
So is callithumpian. Does it mean:
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
a children's mummer's parade, as on the Fourth of July, with prizes for the best costumes.
adjective
8.
Physical Chemistry. noting the dispersed particles in a dispersion.

Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English dispersen, disparsen (< Middle French disperser) < Latin dispersus (past participle of dispergere), equivalent to di- di-2 + -sper(g)- scatter (stem of -spergere, combining form of spargere to scatter, strew) + -sus past participle suffix

dis·pers·ed·ly [dih-spur-sid-lee] , adverb
dis·pers·er, noun
dis·pers·i·bil·i·ty, noun
dis·pers·i·ble, adjective
pre·dis·perse, verb (used with object), pre·dis·persed, pre·dis·pers·ing.
re·dis·perse, verb, re·dis·persed, re·dis·pers·ing.
un·dis·persed, adjective
un·dis·pers·ing, adjective
well-dis·persed, adjective

1. disburse, disperse ; 2. disperse, disburse, dispose.


1. See scatter. 2. sow, broadcast. 7. disappear, evanesce.


1. combine, collect.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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World English Dictionary
disperse (dɪˈspɜːs) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
vb
1.  to scatter; distribute over a wide area
2.  to dissipate or cause to dissipate
3.  to leave or cause to leave a gathering, often in a random manner
4.  to separate or be separated by dispersion
5.  (tr) to diffuse or spread (news, information, etc)
6.  to separate (particles) throughout a solid, liquid, or gas, as in the formation of a suspension or colloid
 
adj
7.  of or consisting of the particles in a colloid or suspension: disperse phase
 
[C14: from Latin dispērsus scattered, from dispergere to scatter widely, from di-² + spargere to strew]
 
 
dispersedly
 
adv
 
dis'perser
 
n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

disperse
mid-15c., from M.Fr. disperser "scatter," from L. dispersus, pp. of dispergere "to scatter," from dis- "apart, in every direction" + spargere "to scatter" (see sparse). The L. word is glossed in O.E. by tostregdan. Related: Dispersed; dispersing.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

disperse dis·perse (dĭ-spûrs')
v. dis·persed, dis·pers·ing, dis·pers·es

  1. To cause to separate and move in different directions; scatter.

  2. To cause to vanish or disappear.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Example sentences
Year-round: open habitats with dispersed trees, from agricultural to urban.
If the dollar goal isn't met, the project's funds aren't collected and
  dispersed.
Now a global company means a company composed of teams that are themselves
  dispersed.
And the dispersed oil has not exactly gone: it simply has a better chance of
  biodegrading, and less chance of coming ashore.
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