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dispersal

 - 6 dictionary results

dis⋅per⋅sal

[di-spur-suhl]
–noun
dispersion (def. 1).

Origin:
1815–25; disperse + -al 2

dis⋅per⋅sion

[di-spur-zhuhn, -shuhn]
–noun
1. Also, dispersal. an act, state, or instance of dispersing or of being dispersed.
2. Optics.
a. the variation of the index of refraction of a transparent substance, as glass, with the wavelength of light, with the index of refraction increasing as the wavelength decreases.
b. the separation of white or compound light into its respective colors, as in the formation of a spectrum by a prism.
3. Statistics. the scattering of values of a variable around the mean or median of a distribution.
4. Military. a scattered pattern of hits of bombs dropped under identical conditions or of shots fired from the same gun with the same firing data.
5. Also called disperse system. Physical Chemistry. a system of dispersed particles suspended in a solid, liquid, or gas.
6. (initial capital letter) Diaspora (def. 1).

Origin:
1350–1400; ME dispersio(u)n (< AF) < L dispersiōn- (s. of dispersiō), equiv. to dispers(us) (see disperse ) + -iōn- -ion
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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dis·per·sal   (dĭ-spûr'səl)   
n.  The act or process of dispersing or the condition of being dispersed; distribution.
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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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: dis·pers·al
Pronunciation: dis-'p&r-s&l
Function: noun
: the act or result of dispersing; specifically : the process or result of the spreading of organisms from one place to another

Main Entry: dis·per·sion
Pronunciation: dis-'p&r-zh&n, -sh&n
Function: noun
1 : the act or process of dispersing : the state of being dispersed
2 : the separation of light into colors by refraction or diffraction with formation of a spectrum; also : the separation of radiationinto components in accordance with some varying characteristic (as energy)
3 a : a dispersed substance b : a system consisting of a dispersed substance and themedium in which it is dispersed : COLLOID 2b called also disperse system
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

dispersion dis·per·sion (dĭ-spûr'zhən, -shən)
n.

  1. The act or process of dispersing.

  2. The state of being dispersed.

  3. Disperse system.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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