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dispel

 - 3 dictionary results

dis⋅pel

  [di-spel]
–verb (used with object), -pelled, -pel⋅ling.
1. to drive off in various directions; disperse; dissipate: to dispel the dense fog.
2. to cause to vanish; alleviate: to dispel her fears.
Use dispel in a Sentence
Origin:
1625–35; < L dispellere to drive asunder, equiv. to dis- dis- 1 + pellere to drive

Related forms:
dis⋅pel⋅la⋅ble, adjective
dis⋅pel⋅ler, noun

Synonyms:
1, 2. See scatter.

Antonyms:
1. gather.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
Cite This Source Link To dispel
dis·pel   (dĭ-spěl')   
tr.v.   dis·pelled, dis·pel·ling, dis·pels

  1. To rid one's mind of: managed to dispel my doubts.

  2. To drive away or off by or as if by scattering. See Synonyms at scatter.


[Middle English dispellen, from Latin dispellere : dis-, apart; see dis- + pellere, to drive; see pel-5 in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

dispel 
c.1631, from L. dispellere "drive apart," from dis- "away" + pellere "to drive, push." Since the meaning is "to drive away in different directions" it should not have as an object a single, indivisible thing (you can dispel suspicion, but not an accusation).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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